lead exposure

Lead pipes were once widely used in plumbing because of the metal’s low melting point and durability. However, lead exposure can cause developmental problems, cardiovascular issues, and organ damage. The federal government banned new lead pipes in 1986, but millions of lead service lines remain in service to this day.

Chicago has the highest number of lead water service lines in the nation. An estimated 412,000 out of 491,000 service lines are at least partly made of lead or contaminated with it. Chicago has a plan to replace all its lead service lines, put in place in response to a Biden-era EPA mandate, but the work is not expected to be complete until 2076.

The lengthy timeline will expose many more children and adults to the risk of toxic drinking water, and rising temperatures from the warming climate may exacerbate the risk by causing more lead to leach off of pipes and into water. Lead is particularly harmful to children and experts emphasize that there is no safe level of lead exposure.

The biggest problem, of course, is financial. The $15 billion in national lead service line replacement funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law will expire next year.

In Chicago, majority Black and Latino neighborhoods bear the biggest burden of lead pipes. Some 90% of these areas have lead service lines. And lead pipes are also common within homes. Just replacing the private side of home pipes can cost tens of thousands of dollars, far outside the means of most homeowners.

Chicago’s lead pipes are a serious problem.

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Chicago Has a Huge Lead Pipe Problem—and We Mapped It

Photo, posted March 19, 2015, courtesy of Conal Gallagher via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Long-term exposure to lead can cause serious health problems, especially in children. Children are particularly vulnerable because their early years are characterized by rapid growth and brain development.

Lead is a powerful neurotoxin that can cause damage even at low levels of exposure. Lead poisoning can be acute, and can cause all sorts of health issues, including stomach pain, brain damage, and even death. Because lead accumulates in the body over time, lead poisoning can develop slowly. Exposure to lead can also contribute to a lower IQ and behavioral problems that can last a lifetime.

Lead is a naturally occurring element found in small amounts in earth’s crust. But as a result of human activities, lead can be found in all parts of the environment, including the air, soil, and water.

According to a new study recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, approximately half of U.S. adults alive today were exposed to harmful levels of lead as children from the burning of leaded gasoline. The research team estimates that lead contamination has lowered those Americans’ IQ scores by more than two points on average.

In the study, the researchers used data on childhood blood-lead levels, leaded gasoline use, and population to gauge the lifetime exposure of every American adult in 2015. They found that more than 170 million Americans had exposure to concerning levels of lead as children. Those who grew up in the 60s and 70s, when the burning of leaded gasoline was at its peak, had the greatest exposure, losing up to six IQ points on average.

The legacy of lead exposure remains a persistent problem.

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Half of Americans Exposed to Harmful Levels of Lead as Children

Lead Exposure Remains A Persistent Problem

Photo, posted February 13, 2010, courtesy of Steve Snodgrass via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Lead pipes in Chicago

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Americans And Lead Exposure | Earth Wise

Long-term exposure to lead can cause serious health problems, especially in children. Children are particularly vulnerable because their early years are characterized by rapid growth and brain development.

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