Soil Contamination in East Chicago

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has documented that the soil in the West Calumet Housing Complex (WCHC) in East Chicago, Indiana contains elevated levels of lead and arsenic.

This page will address some of your questions and will also provide you with recommendations for reducing exposure to lead and arsenic from the soil in the WCHC.

  1. Where did the lead and arsenic come from?
  2. How does the lead and arsenic in soil get into our bodies?
  3. Has the lead and arsenic in the soil from the East Chicago site gotten into our bodies?
  4. How can the lead and arsenic from the soil affect our health?
  5. Should my child get a blood lead test?
  6. Should I be worried if my child’s lead level is elevated?
  7. What can I do if my child’s lead level is elevated?
  8. What can I do to prevent the lead and arsenic in the soil from getting into my child’s body?
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Lead Exposure Resources

Find resources about lead exposure via the Resource Directory.

Information Source

This material was supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and funded (in part) by the cooperative agreement FAIN: 1U61TS000237-02 from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Acknowledgement

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) by providing partial funding to ATSDR under Inter-Agency Agreement number DW-5-95877701. Neither EPA nor ATSDR endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in PEHSU publications.