Lead contamination widespread at New Orleans playgrounds, Verite finds
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Evans Park in the Freret neighborhood had the highest lead levels in Verite's investigation. Photo: Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America
Unsafe lead levels were found in the soil at about half of New Orleans playgrounds tested in a new investigation by nonprofit newsroom Verite News.
Why it matters: There is no known safe exposure level for children, and even small amounts can cause behavioral problems and reduced cognitive ability.
The big picture: Elevated lead levels tended to track with the age of neighborhoods, Verite reporters Tristan Baurick and Halle Parker write.
- The city's older neighborhoods — including the Irish Channel and Algiers Point — had some of the highest lead levels, while Gentilly and New Orleans East tended to have lower levels, according to Verite's findings.
- The highest lead levels were found at Evans Park in the Freret neighborhood.
Zoom in: New Orleans has a long history of soil contaminated with lead from lead-based paint, leaded gasoline and emissions from waste incinerators and other industrial facilities, the reporters say.
- Lead particles spread easily by wind, eventually settling in the topsoil.
Catch up quick: In 2010, Sarah Hess was one of the parents who urged the city to fix Mickey Markey Playground in the Bywater after her toddler was diagnosed with lead poisoning.
- The city hired a company to remediate the soil at Markey and other parks.
- The last significant effort to test parks for lead ended in 2011, Larry Barabino, CEO of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, told Parker and Baurick.
Yes, but: Verite's findings indicate the cleanup efforts fell short, and a large number of New Orleans children are still exposed to excessive amounts of lead, said Howard Mielke, a retired Tulane University toxicologist and one of the nation's leading experts on lead contamination.
- "It's a failed program," he told Verite. "They didn't do what they needed to do to bring the lead levels down in a single park."
What they did: Verite reporters tested hundreds of soil samples from 84 city parks with playgrounds in fall 2025.
- Adrienne Katner, a lead contamination researcher with Louisiana State University, verified the results.
- The testing found about half the parks had lead concentrations exceeding a federal hazard level set in 2024 for urban soil.
- Check the playgrounds in your neighborhood.
What's next: Barabino told Verite he would share their results with city project managers and MMG, the city's environmental consultant.
Go deeper: Read the full investigation.
Editor's note: This story was done in partnership with Verite News, a nonprofit newsroom in New Orleans.