When 3-year-old Seth Dougherty was found to have lead in his blood at more than double the level that can cause IQ loss, his parents and the Allegheny County Health Department jumped into action.

The city of Pittsburgh, notified that the problem likely stemmed from a lead-contaminated area next to a Highland Park playground, scraped off old paint chips and put up fresh paint. But four months after the city found out about the lead, it has yet to remove contaminated soil, or post a warning to families who use the tot lot and playground 20 feet from the dirt.

Parents who know about the lead near the Farmhouse Playground are losing patience.

"I'm just absolutely enraged," said Sofia Sunseri, who brought her 3-year-old daughter to the playground frequently until she found out about the lead. "I'm beyond floored, especially with everything that has come out in the last six months with lead."

The city plans to implement a lead containment plan crafted by an engineering firm by the end of the month, according to mayoral spokeswoman Alecia Sirk. The work was delayed so the area wouldn't be tied up during the busy summer season.

"There was no sense in going out there and tossing around dirt while there were kids around," she said.

Lead was banned from paints used in most applications in 1978. But lead in old paint persists, and contamination of imported toys has prompted a slew of recalls.

Children under age 6 are particularly susceptible to lead's effects, which can include damage to the brain, central nervous system and kidneys. It can be eaten or breathed in as dust.

Early this year, Kelly Dougherty was told by teachers that her son Seth, who is autistic, was hyperactive. A blood test showing high lead levels triggered Health Department notification.

A Health Department inspector checked the Dougherty house -- they are professional painters who are careful about keeping lead dust out of the house -- but found no significant contamination there.

Seth "was spending huge amounts of time, usually twice a day, at the Farmhouse Playground," said Ms. Dougherty. He would run around the wrap-around porch at the Farmhouse building, as many children do, play in the dirt between the porch and the playground, and use the water fountain just feet away.

The inspector checked the paint chips falling off of the Farmhouse building walls, and the soil around the building and 20 feet from the tot lot. One area of soil showed lead contamination double the maximum levels recommended in federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for play areas. The other area had lead at eight times the guideline.

"It sounds like it's troubling," said Dr. Herbert Needleman, a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and nationally known lead expert. Kids should be kept off of that ground, he said. "Certainly, the kids in the area should be tested."

Ms. Dougherty barred Seth from the dirt and porch, and began a course of nutritional supplements tailored to remove lead from his system. His lead level dropped.

City Parks Director Duane Ashley was present for the Health Department's June 27 tests. The department wrote to him on July 5, reporting the chipping paint falling from the Farmhouse walls to its porch and the lead levels in the soil.

Within days, the city had scraped away loose paint and put up a fresh coat. It then hired engineering firm L. Robert Kimball & Associates to craft a longer-term mitigation plan.

"We brought in a third-party engineer so we would absolutely be doing the right thing," said Ms. Sirk.

The Health Department heard from the engineers on Aug. 8, according to department spokesman Guillermo Cole.

"We suggested that the city do what it can to limit contact with bare soil," said Mr. Cole. "The levels we found in the soil are a concern," he said, though not "an imminent hazard."

Ms. Sirk said the city's plan includes lead mitigation inside the Farmhouse. The current plan is to leave the soil in place, but put down mulch and plant vegetation around its perimeter.

"The soil should be removed" if lead levels are high throughout, said Dr. Needleman. "Lead-free soil should be put down." Then the area should be covered to prevent kids from kicking up dirt and freeing buried lead.

Area residents say that at the very least, warning signs should have gone up.

"As soon as the county, or city, or whoever, knew, this should've been posted," said Mike Nabler, president of the Highland Park Community Council, who said he only recently became aware of the lead.

"We were very stunned that the whole building and around the area weren't roped off," said Ms. Dougherty.

"That dirt blows right on to the playground," said Ms. Sunseri. "I used that playground two or three times a week. Now I don't use it at all."

She became aware of the lead through a July posting on an Internet bulletin board for Highland Park residents. In August, she called the city's 311 help line and was referred to the Health Department.

She recently contacted City Councilman William Peduto's office, and he wrote a letter yesterday to Mr. Ashley and Public Works Director Guy Costa, whose department handles parks facility maintenance.

"I am concerned every time I learn about dangers at children's playgrounds," Mr. Peduto wrote. "There is no reason this issue should not be addressed by the end of the week."