"Fifteen years ago, Liz Colon was shocked when she got the call from her pediatrician. Her 1-year-old son had tested positive for lead poisoning."

"Colon had recently bought a house in Providence, R.I., and within a few months her baby was back in the hospital and the local health department was helping her identify the source of the lead.

Nearly two decades later, Colon, who went on to work for the Childhood Lead Action Project, says that without the lead screening and health department efforts, her son likely would have faced major health problems without her understanding why."

Jeremy P. Jacobs reports for Greenwire January 10, 2012. [2]