Lead warning at Indiana housing complex roils residents

In this Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016 photo, a child rides his bicycle past the West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Ind. More than 1,000 residents of a public housing complex in northwest Indiana have been left in a state of panic and uncertainty since authorities informed them last month that their homes need to be destroyed because of a serious lead contamination threat. (Jonathan Miano/The Times via AP) (The Associated Press)

This July 27, 2016 photo shows signs around the West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Ind. where residents have been told the soil around their homes contains much higher than expected levels of lead and arsenic. The complex sits in the heart of a former industrial zone along Lake Michigan, an area of winding canals, rivers and aging factories. (John J. Watkins/The Times via AP) (The Associated Press)

In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, Joseph Russell, 2, rides his tricycle outside his home at the West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Ind. More than 1,000 residents of a public housing complex in northwest Indiana have been left in a state of panic and uncertainty since authorities informed them last month that their homes need to be destroyed because of a serious lead contamination threat. (Jonathan Miano/The Times via AP) (The Associated Press)

More than 1,000 residents of a northwest Indiana public housing complex have been left in a state of panic and uncertainty since authorities informed them last month that their homes must be destroyed because of serious lead contamination.

A warning went out this summer not to allow children to play in the dirt and to wash their toys because the soil is soaked with lead. It was the first time many of the residents of the low income West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago had heard plans to remove tainted soil that date back to at least 2012. Many are asking why they were not told earlier.

State Sen. Lonnie Randolph says, "Somebody dropped the ball somewhere."