The Garrison Community Center in Kansas City’s northeast side tested positive for elevated lead levels.
The Kansas City Health Department said workers were concerned about dust. That’s when inspectors came in to test it for lead.
“It's hard to tell what the cause is, exactly. It's a very old building — it's over 100 years old. It's most likely a combination of a number of things,” explained Amy Roberts, Program Director of the Health Department’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
Jack Burke, who plays volleyball at the Garrison Center weekly, wondered why the building wasn’t tested before.
Roberts said that lead is a big problem in Kansas City, and it's not just isolated to the community center. Lead can become an especially large hazard when lead-based paint starts to break down.
“Missouri is the number one producer for lead in the country, number one state,” said Roberts. "It's the number one for lead mining as well."
The health department is now offering free blood testing for people who have visited the Garrison Center.
If lead is detected in a building, Roberts said the next step is to get rid of the source.
"That's the best thing about lead," she said. "Once it's identified, you can cover it up. You can cover it with paint or other substances, but the most important thing is you can clean."
If you’re worried about lead in your home, you can purchase a test kit or call the health department to have an inspector come out.
-----
Shannon Halligan can be reached at shannon.halligan@kshb.com.
