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Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Lead can present a danger to Hoosiers. Here's how to reduce your exposure
Lead poisoning can affect any Hoosier, but children are most at risk of exposure because there is no safe amount of lead that can enter a child's body. Experts say there are ways to reduce exposure. Michelle Del Rio, professor at Indiana University, is working to prevent low-level chronic lead exposure in children and her work has led her to understand how people can avoid lead. 'Indianapolis has historically been impacted by smelting operations and industry and some vulnerable populations can still be at very high risk of exposure,' Del Rio said. Del Rio is researching how to better categorize non-traditional sources of lead in Indianapolis, especially in high-risk neighborhoods, and says the most effective way to reduce exposure is knowing where the sources are and covering or removing it from the environment. When someone ingests or inhales lead particles, the body confuses them with other minerals, Del Rio said. This can mean lead will follow calcium being sent to bones or zinc to red blood cells and invade important biologic functions in the body. 'In very young children, when lead binds to zinc and goes into red blood cells, it circulates throughout the body and literally passes through the barrier meant to protect the brain from toxicants,' Del Rio said. 'Lead in the brain can be confused with calcium, which can then interfere with normal development of the brain.' Gabe Filippelli, also at IU, has worked on lead issues and exposures for more than two decades and said poisoning in children can inhibit impulse control and show up as behavioral symptoms as a lack of focus and poor language. Getting ahead of those issues by working to reduce exposure is why Filipelli and Del Rio do their work. The good news is that the U.S. has worked to remove lead from a variety of sources including paint and gasoline, Filippelli said. There also are stronger controls on lead emissions from factories and this all leads to national blood-lead levels plummeting. While this is a public health success, there are still pockets of underserved neighborhoods in cities like Indy where Del Rio and Filippelli's work is needed. The main source of lead exposure today, Del Rio said, is through contaminated dust and soil. Household dust is contaminated by unmaintained lead-based paints, typically in homes build before 1978. Soil can be contaminated from exterior paints as well as emissions from different industries — like the American Lead facility in the historic Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. Contaminated dust and soil sticks to clothing and can settle on a home's floors and furniture. Karla Johnson, administrator of an environmental health department at Marion County Public Health, said children are usually at higher risk because they are crawling on the floor and putting things in their mouths. 'So, a lot of people think about lead in the water, but that's not really the issue,' Johnson said. 'The home is really where the child is going to be exposed more often.' One of the first things Del Rio recommends for people who might be exposed to lead is to clean their home regularly. She said using wet wipes on hard surfaces and mopping hard floors once a week is a good start. Using a HEPA filter to vacuum rugs and carpets can help pick up any contaminated soils tracked in from outside. That cleanliness mentality can also be used to monitor for lead paint. This source of lead is really only a problem when it starts shipping or cracking. Del Rio said this is usually a small area and can be fixed by covering it with lead-encapsulating paint found in most hardware stores. 'If there are big visible chunks of paint, I recommend picking those up with a wet disposable towel first and let the area dry before using that lead-encapsulating paint,' Del Rio said. Lead paint becomes a larger issue during renovations and large projects in the home. If a homeowner is contracting that work out, Johnson with the health department said they need to follow training and licensing requirements. These include practices like using plastic to cover a room or having wet or damp towels outside the area so workers can wipe their feet, she said. If homeowners find lead in the yard, Johnson said it's best to make the soil inaccessible to children so they're not tracking it in. This can mean covering it in a think layer of mulch or gravel. Indiana law currently says that any children ages 1 and 2 need to have a blood-lead level test. Those results are sent to Johnson and her department at Marion Health who will work with families that have lead exposure above certain levels. 'We work with the family to make sure the child is receiving services and provide developmental and nutritional screens to find any vulnerabilities,' Johnson said. While the program typically deals with very young children, Johnson said her department will not turn anyone away. The health department, in partnership with Del Rio at IU and other groups are kicking off the Lead-Free Indy Road Show this year. Residents can bring in household items to be scanned for lead. The group will offer small take home test kits for residents to collect water, soil or dust and also offer blood screening for any children under the age of 12, Del Rio said. The Marion County Public Health Department's Facebook page and other social media accounts will post updates on upcoming locations for the event. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Report: Head of EPA visits Indianapolis to announce major environmental policy change
U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is expected to announce a major policy proposal during a visit to Indianapolis on July 28 Zeldin has focused his tenure at the EPA rolling back environmental rules, slashing staff and advancing President Donald Trump's Unleashing America's Energy agenda. Zeldin will announce the repeal of what is known as the "endangerment finding," according to a report in E&E News, a publication of Politico. The EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions hinges on the endangerment finding — and rolling it back could exacerbate the threats posed by climate change to human health. Governor Mike Braun, Attorney General Todd Rokita and U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, are expected join Zeldin for the announcement at Kenworth of Indianapolis off East 30th Street. Greenhouse gases weren't always classified as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. Concerns about motor vehicles emissions rising throughout the early 2000s led to a petition where 19 organizations called upon the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA rejected the petition, arguing that the gases weren't considered air pollutants subject to the Clean Air Act. Litigation ensued. And in 2007, the Supreme Court categorized greenhouse gases as 'without a doubt' air pollutants. In 2009, the endangerment finding gave the EPA authority to regulate six greenhouse gases — including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — as threats to human health. That move contributed to regulations on emissions from cars, trucks, power plants and the oil and gas industry. Repealing the endangerment finding would be a step backward and is not supported by science, said Gabe Filippelli, a biogeochemist and professor of Earth sciences at Indiana University. 'One could argue that it is just another attempt to prop up the dirtiest of businesses we still have in the U.S., which includes coal burning power plants,' Filippelli said. Climate changes poses a real danger for Hoosiers, and revoking these rules is a case of businesses winning and communities losing, he said. The EPA balances economic needs with environmental protection, but the two issues are not at odds. 'We need business and electricity,' Filippelli said, 'but not at the expense of people's health.' IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at Follow him on BlueSky @ or X @karlstartswithk.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Federal cuts shutter Purdue University's regional climate center
Climate tools used to help Hoosiers prepare for drought and understand extreme weather events have been suspended after federal cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The loss of federal money has shuttered the products and services of the Midwest Regional Climate Center, one of six such centers around the U.S. providing data, tools and services on climate impacts. The center's website now contains only one page telling users about the suspension of its programs. "Support for all MRCC-hosted products and services is currently suspended as of April 17, 2025, due to a lapse in federal funding from the Department of Commerce through NOAA," the site says. The MRCC is a partnership between Purdue University and the National Centers for Environmental Information under the Department of Commerce's NOAA. The center served nine Midwest states, providing users with information to make decisions on agriculture, energy systems, human health and urban planning. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information and Purdue University did not immediately respond to IndyStar's request for comments. Staff at the MRCC were unable to comment on the loss of federal dollars. The MRCC has partnerships with the United Soybean Board and Purdue Extension to provide the latter with custom data tools specifically for Indiana farmers. Those tools are no longer accessible. The center had built a Flash Drought Risk tool to alert Indiana and Midwest farmers when they may be at risk of drought within the next couple weeks. That information helps those farmers plan accordingly. The center also provided data on soil temperature and evaporation — important information for farm management. Gabe Filippelli, executive director of the Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University, said the nonpartisan and unbiased center provided planters with data that helps them with hardiness zones. The center's data helps determine hardiness zones large-scale farmers use to plant crops, and those tools are useful to farmers so they know how well their crops will do, Filippelli said. The loss of the MRCC's products could make it difficult for local meteorologists to add historic context to their weather reports. Tom Coomes, chief meteorologist at ABC57 in South Bend, said he used MRCC data sets to tell his viewers if there is significant weather in the forecast and if those events were unique. Friday's temperatures across Indiana were nearing 80 degrees, and Coomes said the MRCC website would help him determine how rare that was for mid-April. 'It's a really great resource that adds perspective to a forecast,' Coomes said. The center was an educational information source that provided public access to important hazard information, Filippelli said. Indiana's early April tornado outbreak was one of these weather events that MRCC services could provide context on, including whether that was an unusual occurrence. 'These centers developed quite a few tools and data sets, and you cannot access those,' Filippelli said. 'That to me is like burning all the books in a library, but even worse because U.S. taxpayers paid for all those books then the government decided to burn them.' NOAA funds six of these centers throughout the U.S. The MRCC along with the Southern, High Plains and Southeast climate centers were cut from funding April 17, while the Northeast and Western centers are set to lose support in mid-June. The Texas A&M-based Southern Regional Climate Center posted on social media platform X that the center might resume operations if 'replacement resources' fill in the lost funding gap. 'Unfortunately, all data and services offered under the base contract, including our website, will be unavailable unless and until funding is resumed,' the post says. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at Follow him on BlueSky @ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana, Midwest lose historic climate data after federal cuts
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Is Indiana seeing more tornadoes than in the past? The answer is complicated and nuanced
As Hoosiers clean up from severe storms Wednesday that battered central Indiana, scientists studying the climate say the state is likely to see an increase in the number of tornado outbreaks in the future. That prediction is based on research by the Midwestern Regional Climate Center based at Purdue University and the National Weather Service. Scientists with the two organizations reviewed published studies in an effort determine if there is a link between climate change and tornadoes — and what that could mean for Indiana. Melissa Widhalm, regional climatologist and associate director of the climate center, said any possible relationship between tornadoes and a changing climate is complicated and not fully understood. 'The big takeaway (from our research) is, if you look at the historical tornado occurrences, there is a trend that tornado outbreaks are getting larger,' Widhalm said. 'We're seeing them with more frequency.' The work by Widhalm and others found the number of large outbreaks — storm systems that spawn 16 or more EF1 and greater tornadoes — are increasing. Before 1980 there were, on average, about three and a half days per year with 16 or more tornadoes, they found. But since 2000, that average has doubled to seven days per year. However, the number of days when at least one EF1 tornado forms has dropped. The research Widhalm and others reviewed did not identify any definitive cause for these apparent trends. 'It's really difficult to say human influence is what is causing this,' Widhalm said. 'It makes logical sense that human influence would have some proportion of influence and some of it's probably natural. What that proportion is? We don't know, we're trying to figure that out.' Scientists also are trying to determine if these trends are expected to continue in the future, but the research is complicated. Advances in computer systems are helping the researchers find answers, Widhalm said, but they're not quite there yet. Gabe Filippelli, professor of Earth sciences at Indiana University, also said the Midwest could see more tornadoes on average, but there will still be years with very few spinning up — and any increases may or may not be due to the effects of climate change. "I think climate change is obviously a huge, pressing societal problem," Filippelli said, "but I also want to get the science right, and the science is that we don't necessarily see more tornadoes from climate change, yet it is actually causing us here in the Midwest to have to buckle up a lot more." One thing that is certain is the population of Indiana is growing and that means more Hoosiers could be vulnerable to tornadoes, Filippelli said. Some of this growth is due to climate migration, where people are moving away from coastlines facing sea-level rise and moving into the Great Lakes region. Filippelli said Indiana has already seen growth from these climate migrants and as the effects of climate change worsen, the state is likely see more. Indiana is in a part of the country affected by severe weather, and it is severe weather season now, Widhalm said, so it is important to stay aware of the forecast and have an emergency plan in place with time to prepare. The National Weather Service has a preparedness guide for all types of severe weather including tornadoes. Here are some rules when a tornado is approaching or strikes: Move to a basement of safe room If there's no basement, find a windowless interior room or hallway Leave mobile homes and find the closest sturdy building If outside, get into a vehicle, buckle up and drive to a sturdy building IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at Follow him on BlueSky @ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana likely to see an increase in tornado outbreaks, researcher says
New York Times
31-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
On a South Carolina Farm, a House Born From a College Promise
When Joe Filippelli was completing architecture school at the University of Michigan's Taubman College in 2013, his classmate Peyton Coles made him a promise. 'Peyton said, 'Joe, if you ever start your own office, you can build my house,'' Mr. Filippelli said. 'People joke about stuff like that, but you never think it's going to be real.' The friends had studied buildings together, but by the time they graduated, Mr. Peyton had realized he didn't actually want to work as an architect. After growing up on a farm in Virginia, he decided to pursue a career in agricultural technology. For years, Mr. Filippelli didn't think much about that conversation, as college friends routinely make such grand declarations that are eventually forgotten. But within a few months of establishing his own architecture firm, North House Architects, in Grand Haven, Mich., in early 2020, Mr. Coles called — he was ready for that house. The home, inspired by Amish-built pole barns and tobacco drying sheds, is 'a very agrarian form,' Mr. Filippelli said. Credit... Tim Hursley By then, Mr. Coles had married Peanut Belk, and the couple had moved to Wild Hope Farm, an organic produce and flower operation that Ms. Belk runs in Chester, S.C. They were in the process of purchasing a 28-acre portion of the 400-acre property owned by Ms. Belk's parents for $100,000 so they could build a house of their own on the farm. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
