SOUTH BEND — Students at John Adams High School are now helping with the fight against lead in South Bend.

Notre Dame researchers distributed more than 1,300 lead test kits to students throughout the school day Tuesday.

They hope the students will help them get a larger sample of the problem in the city and assist with the data collecting process. These science students could make a lasting impact in the community.

Fighting the lead issue in South Bend has run into several issues over the past months. The team has struggled raising awareness while only having a limited sample.

Tuesday the study took a giant step in the right direction.

“We really need everyone who’s touched by the problem to help. The high school students are going to be such an important force multiplier. We could never do this many samples by ourselves,” said Marya Lieberman, a biochemistry professor at the University of Notre Dame.

Hundreds of test kits were handed out to John Adams High School students.

With the help of Dan Walsh, science teacher, students are able to get a hands-on approach.

“I think getting the students and families involved, we’re actually taking a community approach to the scientific method and actually trying to solve our own problem,” said Walsh.

The kits have labeled bags so students can collect soil and paint chip samples. The lead test kits also have latex gloves in the them to protect the students and wipes for lead dust that could be sitting on tops of tables as well as chair legs.

Anthony Csidi, senior, has already completed the assignment. He says handing them out to high school students is a good idea.

“If they try and hit elementary school and middle school, the kids would just mess with the stuff and won’t know what to do,” said Csidi.

After the holiday break, both Notre Dame and Adams will test those samples to verify if lead is a factor. Teachers say this isn’t just a tool for students to learn, but it could end up saving lives.

“We could actually be saving the lives of some of our own students too. So from that perspective, our own students could be doing a favor for someone who could be sitting right next to them in the classroom,” said Walsh.

Students received permission slips along with the test kits. No kits will be tested without the OK from parents or guardians.

If a home does test positive for lead, the Notre Dame research team will assist those families in finding help.

Source: WSBT