COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) -- The Panhandle Health District in northern Idaho is offering incentives for parents in the heavily mined Silver Valley to have their children tested for lead poisoning.
Agency spokesman Jerry Cobb tells other media outlets that it's still one of the largest Superfund sites in the country despite decades of cleanup.
Lead exposure has been linked to learning and behavioral problems and lower IQs.
Blood-lead levels in children in the Silver Valley declined significantly since the 1970s when the Bunker Hill smelter was operating without pollution controls.
Health District officials say children in the region have levels that reflect national averages now, but continue to see a few children with elevated lead exposure.
Cobb says there's still a lot of material out there despite cleanup efforts.
