Omaha, Nebraska is home to the largest residential lead cleanup site in the country, spanning 27 square miles of the city's east side. Yet most children living in the area are not routinely tested for lead exposure, a gap that public health officials say leaves potentially hundreds of kids at risk of irreversible developmental damage.
The contamination stems from more than a century of emissions from a lead smelter and other factories, which deposited approximately 400 million pounds of toxic metal across east Omaha. The Environmental Protection Agency began investigating the pollution in 1999 and declared the area a Superfund site a few years later. Over the past two decades, the EPA and the city have excavated and replaced nearly 14,000 yards of contaminated soil, representing about one-third of residential properties within the site.
While the percentage of children in the Superfund zone with elevated blood lead levels has dropped dramatically, from 33% in 2000 to 2.4% in 2025, east Omaha still records a higher rate of children with elevated blood lead levels than the national average, according to CDC data.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocates and public health officials say Nebraska's failure to mandate universal lead screening puts children at unnecessary risk. Thirteen states, including neighboring Iowa and Louisiana, have passed laws requiring all children to receive blood lead tests before kindergarten.
The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that without consistent testing protocols, health officials miss approximately half of all children with elevated blood lead levels. The organization and the CDC recommend universal testing in areas with high lead contamination or older housing stock.
\"Nebraska needs to come to grips with its lead problems,\" said Naudia McCracken, supervisor of the Douglas County Health Department's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. \"We have one of the largest Superfund sites in the country, and we're not doing everything we can to protect our children.\"
Peg Schneider, a physician assistant who has been testing Omaha children for lead since 1989, called the current testing rate \"abysmally low.\" \"Every child in this city should be tested,\" Schneider said. \"We have the data showing where the contamination is. We know where the risks are.\"
Belinda Daniels, whose son Jovanni was found to have lead in his blood at age 1, believes universal testing could prevent lasting harm for other families. \"They told me the side effects could be autism or very delayed behaviors,\" Daniels said. \"Every kid in Omaha should be tested.\"
What the Right Is Saying
Conservatives and some fiscal conservatives have raised concerns about government-mandated health screenings, arguing that such requirements impose costs on families and healthcare systems without clear evidence of widespread need.
A bill to require universal lead testing failed in the Nebraska Legislature in 2011, with opponents questioning whether the state should mandate medical procedures and expressing concerns about implementation costs. Since then, no serious effort to revive the legislation has gained traction in Lincoln.
Some local officials have preferred a voluntary approach, citing the dramatic decline in elevated lead levels since 2000 as evidence that existing remediation and outreach efforts are working. The EPA's cleanup of nearly 14,000 yards has removed substantial contamination from residential properties.
County-level data shows Douglas County's testing rate is actually better than most counties nationally, according to CDC comparisons. Some argue this indicates the current system, while imperfect, is performing adequately and that additional mandates could duplicate existing efforts.
What the Numbers Show
The EPA's Superfund cleanup in east Omaha has been ongoing for over two decades. The agency and the city have excavated and replaced soil at nearly 14,000 residential yards, representing about one-third of properties within the 27-square-mile site.
Child blood lead testing rates in Douglas County remain below 50% for children under 7, even within the Superfund zone itself. Health officials acknowledge this means many cases likely go undetected.
National data from the CDC indicates that without universal screening protocols, approximately 50% of children with elevated blood lead levels are never identified. Nebraska is one of 37 states without a universal testing mandate.
The decline in elevated blood lead levels from 33% in 2000 to 2.4% in 2025 represents an 87% reduction, mirroring national trends over the same period. However, east Omaha's rate remains above the national average.
The proposed ordinance under development by Douglas County Health Department would require testing for all children up to age 7 living within the Superfund site or east of 72nd Street. The department plans to present the proposal to Omaha's City Council this summer.
The Bottom Line
Omaha faces a unique challenge as home to the nation's largest residential Superfund site, yet current testing protocols fail to identify many children exposed to lead. While cleanup efforts have dramatically reduced contamination and improved child health outcomes, the lack of mandatory testing means some cases inevitably go undetected.
The Douglas County Health Department is preparing to propose a local ordinance that would mandate testing for children in the most affected areas, potentially reaching kids who currently slip through the system. If adopted, it would be the most aggressive testing requirement in Nebraska, though falling short of universal screening.
The proposed ordinance faces potential opposition from those questioning the cost and necessity of expanded government health mandates. Its outcome will likely determine whether Omaha moves toward comprehensive childhood lead screening or continues with its current voluntary approach.
What to watch: The Omaha City Council hearing on the proposed testing ordinance, expected this summer, will be the next major development in this debate.