Study finds lead in Arco

A federal health agency has found elevated traces of lead in the Arco community and is recommending that preschool-aged children be tested for poisoning.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an offshoot of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found the elevated traces of lead in an unoccupied property at the LCP Chemicals Superfund site.

The discovery stems from soil sampling conducted in the area last November.

In a release Tuesday, the agency said its scientists, after reviewing the unoccupied property, found "lead in the soil there could cause health problems in preschool children should the property be occupied."

Lead levels found in soil in other areas of Arco "were not at levels high enough to cause health problems," the agency's scientists found.

Still, the agency is recommending blood lead testing for all preschool-aged children in Arco, regardless of their proximity to the unoccupied property.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a meeting with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Selden Park gymnasium, 3401 Ross Road. Both agencies will make presentations on the findings and take questions from the public.