Kids in the Midwest will get more blood screenings under EPA plan to deal with lead threat

Midwestern states — including Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska — exceed the national average of detectable levels of lead in the blood of children. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new plan to reduce lead exposure.
A study shows about half of children in the United States have detectable levels of lead in their blood, despite federal regulations that ban or restrict its use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted a new strategy to reduce exposure, particularly in low-income and communities of color that are disproportionately affected.

On Thursday, the EPA released its “Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities,” a plan that the agency said is the first of its kind.