"Verite News tested lead levels at more than 80 parks. Even trace amounts of the toxic metal can cause learning problems and behavioral issues in children."
"Sarah Hess started taking her toddler, Josie, to Mickey Markey Playground in 2010 because she thought it would be a safe place to play after Josie had been diagnosed with lead poisoning.
Hess had traced the problem to the crumbling paint in her family’s century-old home. While it underwent lead remediation, the family stayed in a newer, lead-free house in the Bywater neighborhood near Markey, where Josie regularly played on the swings and slides.
“Everyone was telling us the safest place to play was outside at playgrounds, so that’s where we went,” Hess said.
Josie’s next blood test was a shock. “It skyrocketed,” Hess said. Josie’s lead levels had leapt to nearly five times the national health standard."
Tristan Baurick and Halle Parker report for Verite News February 5, 2026. This four-month investigation was supported by a Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting grant funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute. It was also produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s National Fellowship Fund and the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism.
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