A well-known business and financial news organization has named St. Joseph one of 3,000 places with more cases of lead poisoning than Flint, Michigan.

A special report released Monday by Reuters said as part of an analysis of childhood lead testing results across the country it found 3,000 areas with recently recorded lead poisoning rates at least double those in Flint.  It found St. Joseph to be one of the most toxic in Missouri.  It reported that within 15 blocks of one area of St. Joseph that at least 120 small children have been poisoned since 2010.

Flint began making headlines last year after children were exposed to lead in drinking water. Reuters said it sought testing data at the neighborhood level for child blood tests that show elevated levels of lead. The news organization said St. Joseph is filled with old homes that for a century featured lead paint and plumbing.

“From 2010 to 2015, more than 15 percent of children tested in seven census tracts here had elevated lead levels – well beyond the Missouri average of 5 percent.” – Reuters

To read Reuters’s Special Report CLICK HERE.

We emailed Reuters to see if we can get an interview with the authors and are waiting to hear back.