The Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department is partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency to provide health education and case management related to an ongoing lead remediation project in Iola.
The project occurs as the EPA continues to oversee soil cleanup efforts, stemming from the community’s early years, when lead and zinc smelters were in operation in the early 1900s.
But long after those industries folded up shop, the soil contamination remains at elevated levels more than 100 years later.
When enough properties showed unsafe levels, the EPA placed Iola on its National Priority List in 2013.
Over the next 13-plus years, crews have cleaned up more than 1,200 properties in Iola, leaving 123 known properties with still unsafe levels.
The residential property cleanup is planned to continue through 2027.
MEANWHILE, the EPA sought out a local partner — the SEK Multi-County Health Department — to increase education about the risks of lead contamination and detail ways to reduce exposure as well as spark even further homeowner participation in soil sampling.
Health officer Becky Johnson is collaborating with EPA officials to devise a work plan.
“This work is about protecting kids and giving families clear, practical help to reduce lead risks at home,” Johnson said in a news release.
Many families are unsure where to start with environmental concerns, she continued. The partnership is designed to connect those residents with trusted information and direct local support.
LEAD is a toxic metal that can build up in the body and cause serious health effects, especially in children and pregnant women. Even low levels of exposure can affect brain development, behavior, and learning.
Because lead cannot be seen or smelled, risks often go unnoticed without testing.
“Yes, we have seen elevated blood lead levels in children locally, as we do in other counties served by our health department,” Johnson told the Register.
That said, an elevated blood lead level does not by itself identify the source of the exposure, she stressed.
“It would not be accurate to assume that a positive test in Iola is connected to the former smelter or to soil contamination,” Johnson said. “Lead exposure can come from a number of sources. In many communities, including those with no history of smelting, a common source can include deteriorating lead-based paint in older homes and other environmental or household exposures.
“That is one reason this partnership is important,” she continued. “It gives us another opportunity to educate families about the different ways lead exposure can occur, encourage appropriate testing, and help families reduce potential exposures.
