A new study has found that children under the age of six living near a former battery plant in Vernon, California have high levels of lead in their blood. The Department of Toxic Substances Control requested that the children in the area around the plant be tested and the report released on Friday by state health officials, showed that children living close to the former Exide Technologies battery-recycling plant had higher levels of lead in their blood than those who live farther away. While governor Jerry Brown has pledged $176 million in aid, the affected families are not holding their breath. RT reports: The study also found that the age of the homes the children lived in was a contributing factor, as lead levels in paint were not regulated until 1978. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers levels of led exceeding five or more micrograms per deciliter of blood to be significantly high – so much so that it requires a public health response. The study from California’s Department of Public Health found that 3.58 percent of young children residing a mile or less away from the plant had concentrations of lead in their blood of 4.5 micrograms [...]