Elevated lead levels found in kids of parents who work at Anoka ammunition plant

Elevated lead levels in four children have prompted Minnesota health authorities to recommend testing of all kids whose parents work at the Federal Ammunition plant in Anoka.

The source of contamination is somewhat unusual: Workers are bringing dust from the plant home with them, including on their clothes and other objects. Cases of elevated lead typically involve preschool children who ingest chips of lead-based paint around older homes.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) on Friday faulted the manufacturer of sporting firearms ammunition for failing to show progress in reducing risks. The first case was identified in November 2021 and others followed over the next year and a half.

"This is an ongoing exposure issue," said Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff. "That is why we're now saying to all folks, 'Hey, we want to make sure that your kids are protected and that we don't have other exposures happening as well.'"

A statement on Friday from Federal Ammunition noted existing lead testing and monitoring at the plant, along with cleaning and hygiene protocols to reduce contamination and protect workers and families.

"We are actively reviewing the concerns raised and are cooperating fully," the statement said.

A 2021 inspection by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry resulted in citations against the Federal Ammunition plant. Inspectors raised concerns about the dry-sweeping method used to clean up lead, a hazardous level of lead in one air-quality sample, and a locker-room system that didn't prevent cross-contamination of work and street clothes. A settlement included improvements to the changing room to reduce take-home lead dust.

Lead is a common cause of developmental delays and learning problems in children. The four cases were identified through routine screening of infants and toddlers. All four had levels in their blood above 5 micrograms per deciliter, which is the state's trigger for investigating the source of their exposures.

Levels at 50 or higher can indicate immediate toxic threats, requiring invasive chelation treatment that removes lead but also reduces calcium and other key elements in the body. For children with lower levels, the goal is to remove the contamination threats so that lead levels will reduce on their own, Huff said. The children are then monitored for developmental concerns over time.

Public health investigators used dust swipes to find lead on car floors and in the clothes and shoes that parents wore to the ammunition plant. Sources such as lead-based paint were not found.

Lead as a heavy metal is difficult to remove and can accumulate once brought into homes.

Minnesota last year expanded its screening recommendations beyond kids in certain high-risk circumstances, advising lead tests at ages 1 and 2 for all children. Atypical exposures like this case motivated the switch, said Stephanie Yendell, a supervisor for the state's lead surveillance program.

About 6 of every 1,000 children have elevated lead levels when tested under Minnesota's current threshold, according to 2020 state data. However, legislation this year has proposed reducing the trigger level for source investigations from 5 to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. The number of children with elevated lead levels could double with this change.

Huff said he didn't know if more children exposed through take-home dust from the plant would have been identified if that proposed lower standard was in effect now.

Free lead testing is available for the children on Saturday and Feb. 25 during events at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, and on Feb. 18 at the Andover Community Center, 15200 Hanson Blvd. NW., in Andover.