Poison at play: Unsafe lead levels found in half of New Orleans playgrounds

Sarah Hess started taking her toddler, Josie, to New Orleans’ Mickey Markey Playground in 2010 because she thought it would be a safe place to play after Josie had been diagnosed with lead poisoning.  Hess had traced the problem to the crumbling paint in her family’s century-old home. While it underwent lead remediation, the family stayed in a newer, lead-free house in the Bywater neighborhood near Markey, where Josie regularly played on the swings and slides. “Everyone was telling us the safest place to play was outside at playgrounds, so that’s where we went,” Hess said. Josie’s next blood test was a shock. “It skyrocketed,” Hess said. Josie’s lead levels had leapt to nearly five times the national health standard.  When the soil at Markey was tested in late 2010, it too was found to have dangerously high levels of lead. But the city took no meaningful action to inform Markey’s users or make the park safe. Parents started posting warning signs at the park and flooded City Hall with outraged calls and emails. Holding Josie in her arms, Hess made an impassioned speech to the City Council.  A child’s shoes are left in the dirt next to the playground at Mickey Markey Park in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans in November 2025. It’s common for children to play barefoot at this playground. Christiana Botic / Verite News and Catchlight Local / Report for America In short order, the city had hired a company to test Markey and other…

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