East Chicago, Indiana - August 24, 2016
Rey Colon holds his 8-month-old son Rey Colon Jr. outside of their home with fellow residents Deandre Bass, at right, and Michael Williams, at center, in the West Calumet area of East Chicago, Indiana. The Colons moved into the complex in the spring. Colon Jr.'s blood lead levels tested below the CDC’s 5 mg/d threshold for action.
The West Calumet Housing Complex, which is currently home to about 1,200 people, is located on a 79-acre Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site where a USS Lead facility was located in East Chicago, Indiana. Up until 1985, a lead refinery, a copper smelter and a secondary lead smelter were also in the area. The houses were built between the late 1960s and early 1970s.
CREDIT: Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times 30194607A
