Lead Contamination in the "Rust Belt" : Indiana
Lead contamination in America has become a major conversation point. With much of the news focused on major metropolitan areas, in this article we will be discussing lead contamination across the entire State of Indiana.
Section 1: State Overview
(Map of IN with the lead exposure risk laid over county by county. Source - Vox)
(Total testing number broken down by age, race, and amount of lead present in blood for the State of Indiana 2012.
Source - State of Indiana)
Much of the State of Indiana is rural communities. There is a misconception that lead contamination is only an issue in urban areas. This couldn't be further from the truth. One of the largest risks of lead poisoning is that from older homes built before 1980.
Every county in Indiana, minus Hamilton, are comprised of at least 41% of homes built pre 1980. 16 counties have at least 80% of their homes that are older than 1980.
Section 2: Problem Counties and Cities
Like the previous states and metro areas we have covered, the State of Indiana has "good" areas and problem areas when it comes to lead contamination. In this section we will highlight the most troublesome areas in Indiana.
(Screenshots of Vox's interactive lead exposure map for Indianapolis, Bloomington and South Bend, Indiana.)
According to Indiana's testing numbers the most new cases of lead poisoning in 2012 were in Allen, Lake, Marion, St Joseph, and Wayne counties. These counties are home to cities such as Indianapolis, South Bend, Gary, Hammond, Fort Wayne, and Richmond, Indiana.
Indianapolis, Indiana has a population of just under 854,000 people. It is the capital of Indiana and the seat for Marion Co. 246 children under 7 tested positive for lead, for the first time, in Marion County during 2012. With the total number tested in Marion Co. being 10,870, 2.2% of children tested, tested positive.
Lake County is part of "Chicagoland," the Chicago metro area. As we reported in our article on Chicagoland:
Lake County, Indiana is home to cities such as: Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Merrillville, and Crown Point. With a population of just under 500,000, Lake County is the second most populous county in Indiana.
Lake County had 86 first time tested children come back positive for lead in 2012. They tested a total of 4,149 children under 7. 2% of children tested came back positive county wide. East Chicago in particular is being hit hard by lead issues. There were several dozen people being displaced without places to go due to the city condemning a local housing project.
(Hammond and Gary, IN. Source - Vox)
South Bend, Indiana is the seat of St. Joseph County. South Bend has a population of just under 102,000, and is Indiana's 4th largest city. St. Joseph county has a total population of roughly 267,000 people. 143 children tested positive for lead county wide in 2012. 3.5% of the 4,020 total children tested came back positive
Allen County has a total population of just over 355,000 and is seated by Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fort Wayne has a population of around 260,000 people and is the 2nd largest city in Indiana. 93 children under 7 tested positive for lead in Allen Co. 3.7% of the 2,539 children tested came back positive for lead.
(Fort Wayne, Indiana. Source - Vox)
Wayne Co., Indiana is on the border with Ohio and is classified as both the Miami Valley and the Dayton metro area. Richmond is the county seat and has a population of just under 37,000 people.
105 children never tested before, in a county with a population of 69,000, tested positive for lead in 2012. County wide they tested 1,222 children under 7. The percentage of children testing positive was 8.6%, making it the highest testing county per capita in Indiana for 2012.
(Richmond, IN. Source - Vox)
Section 3: Conclusion
The State of Indiana is state with many rural areas with large cities condensed in a few pockets. Just like make other Midwestern states, they are struggling with older infrastructure. Some cities like Elkhart, IN have taken on this problem by starting to remove their corroded water supply lines. Others do not have the funding to tackle the issue as it is needed.
If you have any information regarding water contamination in the "Rust Belt" or beyond, please contact us here at TRBT. Thank you for reading.
(Article by Jaimes Campbell)