WEIR, Kansas — Johanna Schmid and her husband, Steve Hench, live in an older home in Weir, Kansas. Their lives are busy — they have five kids. Three of those kids are under the age of three. Last October, routine testing at the pediatrician revealed their three-year-old had high levels of lead in his blood. His levels were around 9 micrograms — the safety cutoff is just over 3.5.
Johanna said the news left her defeated.
“It's hard when you do everything you can to protect your kids. And then there's these unseen little dangers,” Schmid said “A part of me felt like I failed as a mom.”
Schmid’s experience is more common in this area. The economy of southeast Kansas was once powered by facilities like the Tri-State mines. During its peak in the 1920s, the mines were one of the nation’s leading producers of lead and zinc. Some artifacts, like the massive electric shovel Big Brutus later used for coal mining, are the visible remnants of the now lost mining industries. But the hazardous effects the mines produced persist, creating health issues for people.
Lead is especially dangerous for children. Side effects range from developmental and intellectual delays to behavioral issues and risk of childhood anemia.
With the help of the Cherokee County Health Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, Schmid found likely sources around their older home built in 1930, more than forty years before lead was banned in paint and other finishes.
“We figured that it was basically the window and the wallpaper. But our yard also tested pretty high for lead,” said Schmid.
The lead in the yard was likely residue from the Tri-State Mining industry.
Schmid said the EPA was helpful in understanding what to do next. She had to grow out her lawn so they could remediate the soil.
She knew her house was old when they bought it, but she didn't realize it might expose her kids to harmful metals.
“When we bought the house, a lot of the stuff had been remodeled or repainted. We just didn't really think that there was any old paint or anything like that left anywhere,” she said.
In Kansas, lead testing is highly recommended, but not required. It's up to either the homeowner or their doctors to know if they’ve been exposed to lead.
The newest data for positive lead tests from 2018 to 2020 revealed that the percentage of Kansan children with detectable lead levels was higher than the national average at 65%. The national average is 51%.
The lead is likely residue from the Tri-State lead and zinc mine in parts of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.Peyton Kessler is an administrator at the Cherokee County Health Department. She said leftover mining materials called chat are often to blame.
“They utilized that later for different projects,” she said. “Building pads for houses to be built on, or even for the roads."
Kessler often suggests lead tests for children experiencing behavioral or developmental issues, or who are exhibiting signs of childhood anemia.
“If a child has a problem, I always say, let's start with the easy things that we can test for,” she explained.
Lead paint was not banned for use in homes until 1978. If a home is built before then, it’s common there will be lead in the paint or other surfaces.
Kessler said part of the challenge is there’s no funding to help remove lead from places like homes.
“And so we try to educate,” she said
Families like Johanna's are missing out on accessible information about lead exposure and how it gets into the home. They were able to get the help they needed because of their pediatrician, but not everybody is that lucky.
Kessler said funding for all-encompassing resources are dwindling.
“Each state has its form of funding to assist with those different obstacles that they have. So we get so much funding from the federal government, which is less and less as the days go on,” she added.
Organizations like the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) are working to expand awareness of important health issues, including lead exposure. In collaboration with academic and community partners, HBCAT created an informational document focused on lead exposure, health effects and strategies for lead remediation.
“We’re hoping that this tool kit can raise awareness about issues with folks who can make changes — with our policymakers,” said Christina Pacheco, assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Pacheco was involved with creating the toolkit and said it’s designed to be a practical, community-centered resource, bridging knowledge and local priorities.
The tool kit is still waiting for approval from HBCAT’s partners, but it could be ready for release this fall. So as of now, there is no single community resource kit that has been approved by both health officials and community organizations
Rachel Schnelle reports on Missouri and Kansas issues for KRPS.
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