A panel of experts has recommended the government lower its threshold for lead levels in children.
Lead is most commonly found in very old homes with chipping paint. It can also be found in dust from industrial work sites. Higher levels in kids can lead to problems with the brain and other organs, and in extreme cases lead to coma and death.
An advisory committee says the Centers for Disease Control should lower the acceptable level for lead in children to 5-micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, from 10-micrograms.
If the CDC moves forward with such a change, it's predicted that hundreds of thousands of children would meet the criteria for lead poisoning.
