More Than Half the Homes in East Omaha Have Unsafe Lead Levels. That Doesn’t Mean the EPA Will Clean Them Up.

More than half the yards in a section of Omaha, Nebraska, near an old lead smelter still show contamination levels that can pose risks to children. Current EPA policy for the Superfund site only requires cleanup when lead concentrations exceed 400 parts per million, even though scientific research shows lower exposures can cause serious health issues like IQ loss and heart attacks.