(PresidentialWire.com)- According to a study of data from the city of Chicago, nearly one in every twenty tap water samples surpassed nationally defined thresholds for safe lead exposure.
The Guardian reports that out of 24,000 household tests, almost 1,000 homes exceeded the US government’s guidelines. The findings caused alarm, as there are still an estimated 400,000 lead pipes delivering drinking water to households around the city, most of which remain untested.
A water engineer Elin Betanzo, who collaborated with The Guardian to examine data from the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, stated that an obvious data set indicates extremely worrying lead levels in Chicago, and the citizens need to know this.
Betanzo explained lead is a potent, irreversible neurotoxin with no safe exposure threshold and long-term consequences.
Reports show Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lamented that past mayors had kicked the can down the road, neglecting the urgent need for lead pipe upgrades. However, just 180 of the city’s almost half-million lead pipes have been replaced since then. At Lightfoot’s suggestion, the state authorized Chicago 50 years to replace all its lead lines.
A different study published at the University of Sao Paulo showed that neurotoxicity caused by low-level, long-term lead exposure is especially relevant for children. Many studies have revealed that aggression and delinquency also indicate lead exposure.
According to the study, Lead may also pollute drinking water. The National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper in the United States specify that water is dangerous if 10% of a municipality’s test sample has more than 15 ppb lead levels.
While many experts argue that no amount of lead is safe, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 1ppb for school drinking fountains, citing that a child’s brain is particularly vulnerable to lead.
According to The Guardian, 71% of the Chicago tests would fail.
Power and revenue theft are more important to the leaders of these big cities.
