Amber DeLoney Stewart took her two year old daughter Valencia to a routine checkup in Trenton. Then a simple blood test changed everything. According to Inside Climate News reporter Anna Mattson, the follow up lab work came back high. It showed five micrograms per deciliter of lead in Valencia’s blood.
That number matters. The CDC now uses a blood lead reference value of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter for children. So five is well above it. Lead exposure is a health crisis that can quietly harm brain development and attention.
In East Trenton, the risk is not random. Mattson describes lead showing up in worn paint and household dust. She also found concerns in tap water and yard soil. The area is now a Superfund Site linked to historic pottery work. Old homes and old pipes can turn everyday routines into a risk…