Lead contamination crisis exposed in public parks across major southern city

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. HHS and EPA officials launched a new program Thursday targeting microplastics in the human body and in the water supply. (Pool) An investigation in New Orleans discovered high levels of lead contamination in playgrounds all over the city, despite previous efforts to rid them of the health hazard. Now, city officials are racing to secure $5 million in federal aid to clean up the soil where local children play. In February, Verite News reporters tested more than 80 playgrounds across the city, finding that 50% of the sites harbored lead levels that experts deem unsafe. CANCER RISK LINKED TO COMMON BLOOD-RELATED CONDITION, RESEARCH REVEALS At one park, levels were recorded at nearly 6,000 parts per million, or 30 times higher than the EPA’s recommended screening level. According to Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit public health policy organizatio