Known to be toxic for a century, lead still poisons thousands of Midwestern kids

When the pediatrician recommended Lisa Pascoe have her then-toddler tested for lead poisoning, she thought there was no way he could be at risk. Everything in her South St. Louis home had been remodeled.

But then the nurse called to say her son's blood lead level was dangerously high — five times the level federal health officials then deemed elevated.

Pascoe said she was "completely shocked."

"After you hang up on the phone, you kind of go through this process of 'Oh my gosh, my kid is lead poisoned. What does that mean? What do I do?'" she said.

That same week, St. Louis city health workers came out to test the home to identify the source of the lead.

The culprit? The paint on the home’s front window. Friction caused by opening and closing the window caused lead dust to collect in the mulch and soil outside of the house, right where her son played every day.