For over a century, lead smelters and factories in downtown Omaha contaminated soil across the city with toxic dust, causing lead poisoning in residents. The EPA designated the site a Superfund site in 2003 and acknowledged in 2019 that its cleanup plan may not adequately protect children, so the agency is reassessing whether to expand remediation efforts. ProPublica and Flatwater Free Press collected soil samples from over 600 yards to assess ongoing contamination and produced an FAQ guide for residents on lead exposure risks and testing. The reporting reveals most residents in the affected area weren't aware of the Superfund site or their exposure risk — Nebraska is also among the few states that doesn't require universal lead testing before kindergarten, unlike 13 states facing similar lead contamination concerns.