By BRYAN THOMPSON

SALINA – Saline County residents peppered state and local health officials with questions about lead exposure at a public meeting in Salina Tuesday evening.

The meeting was organized by KDHE after tests done by local doctors found elevated lead levels in the blood of 32 Saline County children—most of them from Salina. Questions from the public reflected a lot of unease…

Some comments and questions from the public included: “The battery manufacturer who has, I know, been under investigation for lead contamination in the past—is that something you’re going to be looking into?” “So why didn’t we have a group like this in 2014, when we had 38, and now we have 32 more?” “The health department is going to do blood lead testing for the next two days, but you guys do not do that anymore. Do you see that changing in the future?”

So far, officials have not been able to identify any pattern to suggest where the lead exposure might be coming from. Next month, investigators hope to do three-hour interviews with each of the affected families. They’ll also be testing their homes and water samples for lead.

Bryan Thompson is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.