CLEVELAND, Ohio - Lead poisoning in Flint's children, caused by exposure to tainted river water, has sparked national outrage.

But for years in Cleveland, far more children have been poisoned by the toxin: 2 1/2 times the percentage of kids tested here are poisoned than were in Flint at the height of the crisis.

And those are only the children who get tested. Most don't get screened for the toxin, recommended for all kids under the age of 6 because of the high prevalence of lead paint in the city's housing.

Exposure to lead can cause irreversible, lifelong health, learning and behavioral problems.

While the man-made catastrophe in Flint has sparked bottled water drives and calls for a criminal investigation into the series of decisions that led to the crisis, many cities, especially urban centers with older housing stock, have problems as bad or worse than Flint, as the Washington Post reported today.

In Ohio, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown this week announced the drafting of legislation that would address the threat of lead exposure in water. Tomorrow, he'll meet with federal regulators and city officials at Cleveland City Hall to discuss the measures.

Cleveland City Council held its third hearing to explore solutions in the wake of Toxic Neglect, a Plain Dealer series looking that the history of lead poisoning and potential fixes.

Here's a quick look at how Flint compares to Cleveland

At the height of the crisis in Flint last year, officials reported that more than 6 percent of children under the age of 6 had levels of lead in their blood above 5 micrograms per deciliter, the level at which action is required to track their health. Health officials, however, say no level of lead is safe in a child's blood.

In Cleveland, during a 5-year period ending in 2014, more than 17 percent of children under 6 had more than 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in their blood.

In Cuyahoga County, that number was more than 13 percent.

Only 20 to 30 percent of the children who should be screened get the test countywide.

In Flint, the screening rate prior to the water crisis was similar to Cleveland. Numbers weren't readily available on the current screening rate, though local authorities stepped up testing when the crisis was discovered.