A Free Press investigation has found that the toll is needlessly high -- the result of a national lead strategy that is disjointed, bureaucratically tangled and not nearly expansive enough to solve a problem that has led to the poisoning of 2.5 million Americans in the last decade.

Government efforts to eliminate lead hazards have reached just a fraction of the 1.1 million Michigan homes at high risk. Detroit, Wayne County and the state have fixed 1,500 homes combined since 1994.

State and local officials have mishandled millions of dollars intended to make homes safe from lead. The money often never reaches those who need it most -- young children -- and sometimes is never spent at all.

While the nation's lead cleanup strategy focuses on paint, lead-contaminated soil is virtually ignored. Tests by the Free Press found heavily contaminated soil throughout metro Detroit. It's the legacy of factories and leaded gasoline. Consider: Between 1950 and 1984, cars and trucks spewed an estimated 182,000 metric tons of lead across Michigan.

Few contaminated neighborhoods are ever cleaned up, especially in inner cities. The newspaper found that state and federal officials can be capricious in deciding which neighborhoods are worthy of cleanup.

Even when regulators acknowledge an industrial hazard -- as they have at an abandoned lead smelter in Detroit -- the government has downplayed the threat in the neighborhood and made scant efforts to inform residents, the Free Press found.

National policymakers have not aggressively addressed the problem. Last year, the Bush administration unsuccessfully pushed to eliminate a requirement that poor children on Medicaid -- the group at highest risk -- be tested for lead poisoning. The administration appointed an advisory board laden with lead industry consultants to recommend updated standards for lead danger levels in children.

The good news is that decades-old bans on lead in gasoline and paint have dramatically reduced the numbers of new lead poisoning cases. But new research indicates that damage is done at far lower levels of exposure than previously realized.

In the 1960s, a child was deemed lead poisoned if he or she had a blood-lead level of 60. Now it's 10. And some experts say problems occur at even smaller levels.

What lead does to the body: Babies' and young children's brains and nervous systems are the most sensitive to the toxic effects of even low-level lead exposure. Lead damages developing brains, reduces IQs, causes behavior and learning problems, slows growth, and also can cause hearing problems and headaches. In adults it can cause problems during pregnancy, high blood pressure, digestive and nerve disorders, memory problems and muscle and joint pain.

Protecting your family: Be aware that homes built before 1978 -- and especially those built before 1950 -- may contain lead-based paint. Wet-mop and wet-dust weekly with automatic dishwasher detergent, which attracts lead dust. Pay special attention to window wells. Feed children a diet high in calcium and iron. Wash toys, pacifiers and hands frequently -- especially before meals and bedtime. Keep children away from soil next to a home's foundation, a likely spot for contamination. Avoid tracking soil into the house by using doormats or removing shoes before entering. Plant grass to cover bare soil.

Symptoms of lead poisoning: Because the first symptoms of lead poisoning are very general and are common to other disorders, they are easy to misdiagnose. They include nausea, stomachache, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, sluggishness, colic, weakness and dehydration. Other symptoms may include mild anemia, developmental disorders and sterility. The most severe cases can involve convulsions, paralysis and even death. To test a child or yourself for lead exposure, contact your doctor or local health department to schedule a blood test.

The National Lead Information Center: 800-424-5323.