Children dig through dirt, slide across playgrounds and leave parks covered in dust every day across southeast Louisiana, but beneath some of those playgrounds, researchers say dangerous levels of lead may still be hiding in the soil.
A monthslong WDSU Investigates investigation found elevated levels of lead at several playgrounds across the region, including one New Orleans park where contamination exceeded the federal government’s current cleanup threshold.
WDSU Investigates collected dozens of soil samples from 10 parks stretching from Slidell to Jefferson Parish to New Orleans. The samples were analyzed by researchers at LSU Health New Orleans using methods compliant with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency field screening standards for soil…