The burden of lead: Photos of the lingering threat of lead poisoning in West Dallas, from the 2012 Dallas Morning News investigative series

Sha-Londa Shanks uses a wet-wipe to clean the hands of her son, D'Shaun, 2, following church services in West Dallas. Many children get exposed to unhealthy levels of lead by playing outside where the soil is contaminated, then putting their hands and fingers in their mouth.

Luis Sepulveda has worked for decades to clean up the lead smelter site and be an advocate for West Dallas residents affected by exposure to high levels of lead. He keeps a collection of lead soil samples and battery chips from the area, shown here near a picture of him as a young boy growing up in West Dallas.

Derrionna "DeeDee" Shanks, 6, licks the last remnants of a spicy snack from her fingers following church services in West Dallas. Testing at this location showed higher than acceptable levels of lead exposure in the soil surrounding the church.

Activist and organizer Luis Sepulveda (right, in mirror), tries to get people signed up as volunteers to help launch a house-to-house survey of the area's residents to track past contamination from the lead smelter and other industries.

Residents and former residents of West Dallas exchange information during a community rally. Legal settlements in 1986 and 1995 awarded more than $35 million to 954 children harmed by lead pollution while living near the plant. But many more in this low-income, mostly minority neighborhood were exposed to harmful levels of lead. And they haven't received any help.

Residents and former residents of West Dallas gather to organize a survey about their possible lead exposure. Residents, many of whom have since moved out of West Dallas, say they've been suffering for years from a litany of ailments that they attribute to lead exposure.

Davidlee Ramos, 9, was recently tested for lead exposure and his results came back as 5 - a level of concern. He was diagnosed with autism last May and has dealt with learning disabilities. His parents think his problems could have been caused by lead exposure in their West Dallas back yard.

Velma Johnson, 85, is pastor of the Liberty in Christ House of God church in West Dallas. Johnson also raised her children and grandchildren in a small house on Muncie next door to the church. Soil testing in the yard outside the church earlier this year revealed a lead level of 591 parts per million.

Generations of church attendees didn't know of the soil's danger. They grew vegetables in the yard, ate fish and crawdads from the creek out back, and the children often made mudpies.

David Shanks leads his granddaughter, Derrionna "DeeDee" Shanks, 6, atop his horse Luther near Vilbig and Muncie Avenues in West Dallas. People who lived in the modest homes along Muncie Avenue and those still living there say a lead company and company store was located across the railroad tracks from their homes.

David Shanks brushes the dust from his horse Luther before riding him along Muncie Avenue in West Dallas. He was raised in the neighborhood that was across the tracks from a lead smelter and still keeps horses there.

Linda Bates is a resident of West Dallas who grew up living near the former lead smelter. She addressed the Dallas City Council on Nov. 14, 2012, about her concerns over lead exposure. Dallas City Attorney Tom Perkins denies that anyone was eligible for money from the city for lead-related issues.

Lee Bertha Tittle listens to Otis Fagan, head of the Clean Association for Environmental Justice, during a monthly meeting to update members on the progress of getting help for people in West Dallas affected by lead poisoning. Fagan is fighting with the city over the interpretation of a court order from a 1983 lawsuit that called for a paid public health program for lead-related problems.

William Hopkins leaves the podium after he pleaded for the Dallas City Council to respond to his remarks while talking about a friend of his who is dying in the hospital. He has been attending council meetings regularly since 1996 to try to get help for the residents of West Dallas.

Brianna Gaut, 11, is a member of the Liberty in Christ House of God church on Muncie Avenue in West Dallas. Soil testing commissioned by The Dallas Morning News this year found levels of lead that could be harmful to children in one-third of 36 properties sampled. Most of the levels, however, do not exceed the current federal cleanup standards for residential property.

Sister Brenda Shanks, left, and Prophet Pedro Reyes, right, share a lighter moment between worship services at the Liberty in Christ House of God church in West Dallas.

Brianna Gaut, 12, left, and Jeremiah Clewis, 8, watch as a scientist gathers soil samples from the yard of 1914 and 1918 Muncie Avenue, the location of the Liberty in Christ House of God church. The News commissioned metals toxicologist Trey Brown to collect and analyze the soil samples.

Derrionna "DeeDee" Shanks, 6, plays on the porch of the Liberty in Christ House of God church on Muncie Avenue. Lead in children has been linked to IQ loss, poor school achievement, and criminal and other behavioral problems, as well as cardiovascular, immunological and endocrine effects.

The Shanks family attends church in the house where David Shanks was raised, which is across the railroad tracks from the lead smelter.

Many at the Liberty in Christ House of God church contemplate the health effects from worshipping at a location with lead contamination.

Willie Chapple taps his fingers to the music during an afternoon worship service, as Brianna Gaut, 11, left, listens. Five generations strong, the extended family gathers each Sabbath with friends at the church and celebrates through music.

A strong link exists between the amount of lead in soil and the amount of lead exposure in children. They are the ones most susceptible to lead's harmful effects because of their developing brains.

Catherine Avery lives in West Dallas near the old lead smelter, and her Meyersville Avenue home was tested for lead content in the News survey. In adults, lead has been shown to increase the risks for a variety of illnesses. But proving that lead caused one person's specific health problem is difficult, if not impossible.

Brenda Shanks sweeps dust from the tiny kitchen of the Liberty in Christ House of God church. The smelter came under scrutiny because of too-high lead emissions, and all of that lead in the air eventually settled on the ground, where it bound to dirt in people's yards and dust in their homes.

Linda Bates, left, waits in the front yard of her West Dallas home as Trey Brown of UT Arlington collects soil samples to test for lead content. The results of soil tests from more than 30 residential yards show lead levels that can cause harm to children - though, in all but two cases, they fall below today's federal cleanup standards for residential areas.

The burden of lead: Photos of the lingering threat of lead poisoning in West Dallas, from the 2012 Dallas Morning News investigative series

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