Lead exposure is a problem in Indianapolis.

In recent years, lead was found in the water of more than half of Marion County’s schools and child care facilities. In some of these schools, the amount of lead was more than 500 times the level that federally requires corrective action.

By all estimations, lead is likely also flowing through the taps and floating in the air of Indianapolis’ homes.

Despite the serious health impacts that can come with lead exposure, some people are reluctant to request testing from the health department, said Rev. Ivan Douglas Hicks, senior minister at First Baptist Church North Indianapolis, fearing it will open the door for other inspections in their homes that could require costly mitigation or involve Child Protective Services. At the same time, commercial testing kits can cost as much as $250.

“Some parents are hesitant to get both their homes and children tested for the potential and extent of lead poisoning because they fear repercussions from the government,” Hicks said in a statement to IndyStar. “The residents’ concerns about calling on the health department to test a residence for lead are valid and tragically keep some away from getting the information they need to make sure their family is healthy.”

Lead testing: IUPUI initiative to offer free, anonymous lead testing; here’s what you need to know

This in itself sparks another problem: Scientists don’t have enough data to truly understand the extent of lead exposure in the city. So Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has started a program that may offer a solution.

The university is partnering with the Indianapolis Ministerium, a group of faith leaders in the city, to distribute free, anonymous lead testing kits to people in the city’s church communities. These kits include step-by-step instructions for gathering water, soil and dust samples that IUPUI researchers will analyze for lead. If elevated levels of lead are found, the university will also provide guidance on how to alleviate that exposure.

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About 400 kits have gone out so far, but project leaders are hoping to distribute about 2,000 more. Some kits were also distributed through Ball State University to Muncie residents.

The initiative — a partnership with IUPUI’s Center for Urban Health and Arts and Humanities Institute — may provide necessary data for research on lead in Indianapolis and Muncie. 

But there’s a much broader goal, project leaders say: peace of mind for residents.

“The most important thing that can come from this is the knowledge,” said Jason Kelly, director of the arts and humanities institute. “Knowing what they and their families and their children are consuming … and the knowledge of how to fix or mitigate any problems they might be facing in their own households.”

Disproportionate exposure

Prolonged exposure to lead can cause a series of health problems, from mild lethargy or weakness to serious damage to the brain or nervous system. 

Lead poisoning affects children more strongly than it affects adults, and can lead to long-term developmental issues. 

In 2020, the Indiana legislature passed a bill that would require regular testing for lead and copper contamination in school water systems. But many children may still be exposed to lead in their homes.

Hicks said some families fear allowing the health department in their homes — which is also required to check for a series of other things when checking for lead — could open their families up to “greater scrutiny, unwanted interaction, imposed processes, and possible civic fines.”

“The resolve of our team is to ensure the community is empowered through education and knowledge,” he said. “This is a simple attempt to first get test kits in the homes of families that need them without fear of bureaucratic hazing.”

Researchers don’t need personal information to conduct the testing, and creating an anonymous service may allow them to reach communities they have not previously had access to, Kelly said. 

Gabe Filippelli, director of IUPUI’s Center for Urban Health, said the researchers are particularly hoping to reach areas of the city where people live in old homes, because they’re more likely to have remnants of lead-based paint or particles from when people burned leaded gasoline. 

Filippelli said they’re currently only testing in a specific area of the city where previous soil tests indicate there may be high lead exposure. This includes homes between 38th Street and 16th Street and Meridian Street and Kessler Boulevard.

“That’s where we really want to focus the majority of their effort,” Filippelli said, “rather than, let’s say, newer communities with lower potential for hazards.”

Lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income communities. Much of this is driven by systemic racism and redlining that pushed communities of color into older homes and neighborhoods.

Studies show Black children living below the poverty line are twice as likely to be exposed to unsafe levels of lead than white or Hispanic children who also live in poverty. Even when controlling for families that live in older housing, Black children are at substantially higher risk compared to other demographics.

“There are economic, social and political things that are also deeply tied to environmental injustices … and lead is one of these,” Kelly said. “It hurts people of color, communities of color at higher rates than other communities.”

An ‘IKEA-like’ process

The lead testing project has been in the works for several years, Kelly said. In 2012, the Arts and Humanities Institute began an effort to evaluate global changes in the environment, leading to a project called the Anthropocene Household, a series of studies of how the environment affects everyday life. 

Kelly said this project fit together well with efforts on Filippelli’s team to study lead exposure. “It was this very natural convergence,” he said. 

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The project leaders then brought in the Indianapolis Ministerium as a way to reach out directly with communities they haven’t previously been able to connect with. Hicks said the church is a unique space to build bridges with communities in Indianapolis, and well suited for this project.

“Historically, both hospitals and churches have been health care providers for the communities they serve,” Hicks said. “The church is a place where people go for help, and true ministry cannot take place where those hurting cannot find comfort and care.”

Although the project is years in the making, testing kits were first distributed this spring. About 400 total kits were doled out, evenly split between the Ministerium and Ball State University. 

The process is simple and IKEA-like, Kelly said: Those who sign up for a kit will get a box with materials and step-by-step instructions. 

Lead can enter the home from a myriad of sources. To narrow down where the contamination is coming from, the testing process requires drawing several different water samples: after eight hours of not running the tap, testers must draw samples immediately after turning on the water, one after the water runs for 90 seconds, and one after the water runs for several minutes. This timing allows testers to understand whether the contamination comes from their own fixtures, their pipes or from outside of their home. 

The test also requires scooping soil from three different places in the yard and collecting dust from either a vacuum or from around the house.

Once the tests are completed, they’re given back to the Ministerium and are subsequently turned into IUPUI for analysis. 

If the test results indicate elevated lead exposure, the family is given guidance on how to mitigate that exposure. This mitigation can be as simple as using a Brita-type water filter for cleaning water or covering contaminated soil with mulch.

Kelly said they are hoping for the first 400 test kits to return for testing by July, After that, the researcher will evaluate whether the process requires any changes, such as tweaking instructions or materials, before sending out the next 2,000.

The initiative has secured grant funding for about 2,500 total kits, but Kelly said there is hope that it can be extended if it is successful. 

Filippelli, too, envisions a larger initiative that would partner with school and daycare facilities in the future as well. But he wanted to start with homes, “because that’s where we don’t have access,” he said. 

“That’s where the engagement with that community members is so important,” Filippelli said. “They’ve taken the samples themselves so they sort of feel ownership of the science, which is great.”

If you live in the testing area and want to sign up for a kit in the next wave of distribution, fill out a form on the Anthropocene Household website or email cuh@iu.edu.

Contact IndyStar reporter London Gibson at 317-419-1912 or lbgibson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @londongibson. 

Connect with IndyStar’s environmental reporters: Join The Scrub on Facebook.

IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

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