IUPUI said there were pockets of lead contamination in Indianapolis, which is why they have partnered with local churches to provide free home lead testing kits to residents.
There is no safe amount of lead exposure for children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, the ability to pay attention and academic achievement,” according to the CDC.
“The tragedy of lead poisoning is the impacts are permanent and lead is a neurotoxin, so it impacts brain development, and you don’t get that back again,” said Gabriel Filippelli, professor of earth sciences and the executive director of the Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University.
While the effects of lead poisoning are not reversible, childhood exposure to lead poisoning is preventable.
