25% of yards may have unsafe lead levels. What that means for kids

Back in January, the Environmental Protection Agency lowered its screening level guidelines for lead in soil by half. It’s a regulatory move that has shed light on contaminations across the country.

Now, according to a new study, 1 in every 4 U.S. households exceed the new lead screening levels.

“I was shocked at how many households were above the new 200 ppm guideline,” Indiana University biochemist and lead study author Gabriel Filippelli told U.S. News and World Report. “I assumed it was going to be a more modest number.”

Households exposed to multiple sources of lead are under even stricter regulation at 100 ppm. “The results for the 100 ppm guideline are even worse,” he added.

The study discovered 29 million U.S. households are potentially contaminated with excessive levels of lead in the soil. It’s an environmental toxin that causes 1 million deaths worldwide each year.

“The scale (of the problem) is astounding, and the nation’s lead and remediation efforts just became substantially more complicated” with the new EPA guideline, the study’s authors told U.S. News and World Report.

Removing the toxic substance from every contaminated yard in the country would cost taxpayers anywhere from $290 billion to $1.2 trillion, according to the study, published in the GeoHealth journal.

Lead exposure is particularly dangerous for children, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. It can damage the brain and nervous system, slow growth and development, lower IQ and create numerous long-term health problems.

“The health effects of exposure are more harmful to children less than six years of age,” the CDC said on its website. “Younger children’s bodies are still developing and growing rapidly. Young children also tend to put their hands or other objects, which may be contaminated with lead dust, into their mouths. This makes them more likely to be exposed to lead than older children.”

In the January news release, EPA administrator Michael S. Regan said: “Every family and child, regardless of their ZIP code, deserves to live without worrying about the lifelong health effects from exposure to lead pollution. Today’s action ensures that EPA uses the latest, best available science to protect children living and playing near sites contaminated by lead in soil.”

The EPA provides detailed information on lead exposure and contamination prevention on its website.