The analysis found that almost 1,400 water systems serving 3.7 million Americans have violated the federal lead standard at least once since January 1, 2013. “Pregnant women are at significant risk and studies indicate associations with high blood pressure, kidney problems and potential cardiac issues [in grown adults]”. The fountains now are under the limit but still present some lead, Snyder said.
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In Malden more than two thirds of sampling periods since 1992 ended with results above the federal limit of 15 parts per billion.
The toxic metal can cause brain damage and other physical ailments if ingested, and experts say no amount of lead is considered safe.
The metal also is widespread among Passaic County’s 161 water systems, many of which are private well systems. Public Safety Building in Newark to call for lead testing in schools’ drinking water and to urge Congress to pass Congressman Payne, Jr.’s TEST for Lead Act, which would require states to help schools test for lead if those states receive federal funding for safe water programs.
Water systems were required in the early 1990s to create an inventory of lead-service lines when the federal lead rule went into effect, but it’s not clear how well they have been maintained.
“We try to minimize it, whatever our contribution is” to childhood lead poisoning, said Joseph Bella, executive director of the Passaic Valley Water Commission in New Jersey, which has repeatedly exceeded the standard.
“A lot of public information is shared regarding lead and copper test results in a consumer confidence report”, he said.
Firestone’s supplier, Central Weld County Water District, began adding a corrosion-control chemical to the water in October, and the number of homes in which lead was found in the water dropped to six, Mayor Paul Sorensen said in a statement.
“We comply with all of the Virginia Department of Health water regulations”, he said. “They can and they should take action now to protect Ohioans’ drinking water”. The Democrat introduced a bill last month requiring local water districts to test for lead at all schools and day cares every three years.
The review determined 39 of 1,082 water systems in CT had tested over the limit.
The problem was the water’s acidity, which leached lead from soldering in the pipes, according to Business Administrator Teresa Barna. And since the Flint crisis, the utility has added an additional step of testing for lead at all homes and businesses after doing any work on the lines that run to their water meters. “We have miles of line and we don’t have the customer base to really support those lines”.
Lynn Goldman, a former EPA official, and dean of George Washington University’s school of public health said, “This is just a case where we have a rule that’s not been adequately protective”, said. And Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has said that it could cost “billions” to fix the city’s aging water system, which includes its schools. Two others said errors put them on the list and that their water was within EPA guidelines. The experts she talked to say the issue exists primarily in older areas, especially along the East Coast and in the upper Midwest.
The largest drinking water distributor in Tennessee is Memphis Light, Gas and Water, which serves a population of about 650,000 with water from an underground aquifer.
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The Wayne Township Division of Water has found lead in some past tests, but its two most recent found no lead.
