The Great Lakes contain over 20% of the world’s freshwater. Now, their infrastructure is falling apart. Lead piping issues plague more cities than just Flint, Michigan. As a precious resource for drinking water, we shouldn’t waste the Great Lakes’ water.

Flint: The Mascot of the Lead Crisis

Nearly everyone in the U.S. knows of Flint, Michigan. It’s a city just outside of Detroit, Michigan. Several years ago, a crisis struck the city. Many old lead pipes had never been replaced. They contaminated the water supply of the city’s population. As a result, people got sick, and some even died.

The U.S. government is prioritizing the lead pipe crisis under the current administration. However, it’s hard to know if this attention will bring about real change. After all, Flint is still in a legal battle, and their crisis started eight years ago. Even when legal checks are put in place, local governments don’t always enforce them.

History of the Great Lakes

Many cities grew around the Great Lakes during an industrial boom in the 1830s. This economic boom followed the building of the Erie Canal in New York state. The canal allowed boats to transport goods between New York City and the Great Lakes.

Thus, many cities on the coasts of the lakes started around the same time. They also developed following similar patterns. Now, it means that the infrastructure is failing around the same time, too.

Lead pipes are a lead cause of contaminated drinking water. Lead poisoning is very dangerous. At-home filters can be pricey. Our world is plagued by water pollution problems. Therefore, we should treasure the freshwater of the Great Lakes.

Water contamination from lead pipes isn’t unique to the Great Lakes region. It’s seen across the country, usually in economically disadvantaged places.

The Great Lakes: A Freshwater Resource

The Great Lakes are a freshwater resource to the states around them. The Canadian province Ontario also borders them to the north.

There are several major cities on the Great Lakes:

• Chicago, IL
• Detroit, MI
• Milwaukee, WI
• Cleveland, OH
• Buffalo, NY

Only 2.5% of the water on Earth is freshwater. Of this, only 1.2% is drinkable. With a global population of nearly 8 billion people, we should value our freshwater assets. Instead, lead piping pollutes them.

The lead pipe crisis doesn’t only affect the Great Lakes region. Moreover, there are other water contamination issues affecting the Great Lakes. Still, this problem shows what we need to overcome. By solving this problem, we step closer to cherishing water the way it deserves.

Looking Forward

There are many organizations working hard to fix these problems:

• • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • The Great Lakes News Collaborative

Furthermore, the work of Save The Water and all organizations researching water contamination helps us. Professionals can apply and alter local research to different regional water systems.

Without funding, replacing outdated lead infrastructure is an impossible task to surmount. However, everyone deserves access to clean water. Find out what your local government is doing to help prevent lead contamination.

By Lauren Hansen, Staff Researcher/Writer at Save the Water | December 18, 2021

In October 2021, a state official urged residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan to use bottled water for drinking and cooking. This plea came three years after water testing in the area revealed that the water supply had high levels of lead, a dangerous chemical that could lead to brain damage. 

This situation is yet another example of the aging water infrastructure problem in the United States and brings to mind the 2016 water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Old piping systems were frequently made of lead,  and some are still in use today, often in impoverished, low-income communities. This reveals larger infrastructure inequities in the country as well.

Not a Quick Fix

In an attempt to reduce the levels of lead in Benton Harbor’s water supply, Michigan’s environmental agency and local activist groups have been pressuring state officials to combat the contamination with chemicals. These chemicals form a protective barrier within the lead pipes. 

State officials have sent out notices to residents regarding the problems with their water and have given out water filters for them to use. However, despite the severity of the situation,  Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer did not initially declare a state of emergency. 

Finally, only after local, state, and national non-profit organizations petitioned the EPA to intervene in September, did Whitmer declare a state of emergency in Benton Harbor. She also promised to accelerate the process of switching out lead pipelines for newer, safer ones. This project is expected to be completed by April 2023.

In addition to the city’s water contamination issues, EPA inspectors also found broken equipment, chemical tanks overflowing, missing records, and several other problems in Benton Harbor’s water treatment plant. 

Lead’s Harms

In the past, manufacturers commonly used lead to make pipes that provided water to homes across the country. Alarmingly, plumbing code in Chicago actually required the use of lead until it was finally banned in 1986. We now know that lead is extremely toxic and there is no safe level of exposure to this element. Taking in even small amounts can harm brain development in children. Lead exposure also raises the chances of heart disease, kidney failure, and other health issues. In the United States, 18% of deaths are each year are linked to lead. 

Water Infrastructure Improvements in the Near Future

With the passing of recent bills in the legislature, $15 billion will go towards replacing lead pipes with newer, safer ones. Michigan will receive slightly less than $1.7 billion of these funds.

In Benton Harbor, 100 pipelines are set to be replaced, and another 200 could be under contract soon.

The larger question, however, is why these dangers went undetected and/or unaddressed for so long. Action to change Benton Harbor’s pipes came three years after more stringent testing revealed high levels of lead in the water supply.  

What You Can Do to Help

• Donate water by contacting aslack@smcaa.com
• Put pressure on local, state, and national legislators to address infrastructure issues, project backlogs, and permit delays

By En Qi Teo, Staff Writer & Researcher for Save The Water

A recent study, done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, found that over 40% of US public schools in 24 states have dangerously high levels of lead contamination in their water fountains.1 This was discovered after water samples were collected from schools and tested for lead content. An alarming 44% of schools had more than one water sample that was found to have higher-than-recommended lead levels.1

How does lead enter the water fountains?

When manufacturers use lead to produce parts of water fountains or taps, such as pipes or faucets, lead leaches into the water. Lead is a cheap material, and therefore has been used in the manufacturing of plumbing systems. As a result, pure lead service lines (LSLs) are estimated to be extremely common across America, including in many major cities. Additionally, the water chemistry, which is affected by the weather and changes in the distribution system, may also speed up corrosion.2 This is what results in higher-than-recommended lead levels being present in the water.

A history of contamination

Many may know about the current water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Sadly, the presence of lead in drinking water at schools is not new. By 1991, the issue had already attracted national focus, as American Health and Human Services Secretary L. W. Sullivan declared subtle lead poisoning the largest environmental threat to the health of American children.3

In 2004, a study found that almost 60% of Philadelphia schools had levels of lead in their water that exceeded the action level in Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) guidelines.4 In 2009, The Associated Press conducted a study and found that at least 27 states in the US were affected by the problem of lead contamination.5 Furthermore, case studies of schools in Los Angeles, Washington D. C., Baltimore, and Seattle from 2010 have revealed that this problem has been around for almost a decade.5

Lead contamination also varies across school districts. Unfortunately, lead contamination disproportionately affects low-income, minority neighborhoods. This is because schools located in these areas tend to be older and have less budget allowance for the replacement of plumbing.3

What are the effects on children?

Lead poisoning negatively affects children in many ways. Past studies have found that there is no minimum level of lead in blood for poisoning to take effect. Rather, trace amounts of lead are sufficient to have an impact on children’s health. Unfortunately, these impacts scale up as the amount of lead in  blood increases. 

Exposure to high levels of lead may cause a variety of symptoms, such as fatigue, memory loss or general weakness. Prolonged exposure may cause brain and kidney damage, or even death.6 Additionally, lead contamination can cause problems with cognitive functioning. Some studies estimate that each microgram per deciliter of blood lead concentration cause a 0.25-point drop in IQ.7

Also, Children are most susceptible to lead poisoning, and most likely to experience negative effects from lead toxicity.8

Solutions 

Experts have attributed the problem of lead in drinking water at schools to a lack of legislation requiring that schools test their drinking water for lead contamination.4 In a 2018 study, it was found that only fifteen states and the District of Colombia had laws that required schools to test their water supply. Moreover, many states implemented these laws recently and only after the Flint water crisis.4

Furthermore, this study also discovered that legislation alone is insufficient. Schools which have tested their water and found problems with lead contamination do not have the budget to replace their plumbing.9  Therefore, this is also a funding issue, and more needs to be done in consultation with the schools to ensure that lead is kept out of drinking water.

References

1. Angie Cradock, et. al. January, 2019. “State approaches to testing school drinking water for lead in the United States.” https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/84/2019/01/Early-Adopters_State-Approaches-to-Testing-School-Drinking-Water-for-Lead-in-the-United-States_2019.pdf
2. Siddhartha Roy and Marc A. Edwards. February, 2019. “Preventing another lead (Pb) in drinking water crisis: Lessons from the Washington D.C. and Flint MI contamination events.” Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, (7), 34-44. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468584418300424
3. Michael Emmett Brady. 1993. “A theoretical analysis of the environmental effects of lead contamination over time on IQ, education and crime in America: a viewpoint.” International Journal of Environmental Studies, 44(2-3), 189-201. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207239308710860
4. S. D. Bryant. August, 2004. “Lead‐Contaminated Drinking Waters in the Public Schools of Philadelphia.”Journal of Toxicology: Clinical Toxicology, 42(3), 287-294. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1081/CLT-120037429
5. Yanna Lambrinidou, et. al. 2010. “Failing Our Children: Lead in U.S. School Drinking Water.” New Solutions, 20(1), 25-47. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2190/NS.022010eov
6. CDC. n.d. “Lead: Information for Workers.” https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html
7. Steven G. Gilbert & Bernard Weiss. September, 2006. “A rationale for lowering the blood lead action level from 10 to 2 μg/dL.” NeuroToxicology, 27(5), 693-701. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161813X06001690
8. A. L. Jones. January, 2009. “Emerging aspects of assessing lead poisoning in childhood.” Emerging Health Threats Journal, 2(1). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3402/ehtj.v2i0.7080
9. Ajay Kunapuli, et. al. “Perspectives on State Legislation Concerning Lead Testing in School Drinking Water.” November, 2018. https://centerforgreenschools.org/sites/default/files/resource-files/2018-Lead-in-School-Drinking-Water-Full-Final-20181108.pdf

Drinking fountains are a permanent fixture of schools across the United States. Schoolchildren rush to the drinking fountains after recess. Teachers refill water bottles between classes. However, a major problem may also be gushing from drinking fountains across the nation: water contamination. Whether it is due to poorly maintained water pipes, economic costs, or political loopholes, unsafe drinking water may be seeping into your cup. That contamination can bring adverse health effects to humans and the environment.

Lead appearances in California’s water supply

In California, water pipes in schools are deteriorating, leading to the discovery of elevated levels of lead. CALmatters, a California-based nonprofit, has reported, “Tests have turned up harmful levels of lead in water fountains and taps at other schools in San Diego and Los Angeles, where the district long ago decided to identify, flush and fix or seal hundreds of contaminated fountains.”1 Lead is unsafe for human consumption and must be avoided at all costs; however, Reuters researchers discovered that children in dozens of California neighborhoods had elevated levels of lead, which can cause developmental disorders and brain damage.1 Surprisingly, the State of California is not under pressure to test their water supply for contamination, nor are public schools legally required to do so.1 The only time children undergo lead testing is when they are referred by a doctor who sees that the children are living in homes over 40 years old with peeling paint and living on a low-income assistance program.
To help fix this water contamination issue, California politicians are introducing two bills via the legislature that will resolve the water contamination. Assembly Bill 1316 would direct the California Department of Public Health to urge doctors to ask families a wider range of questions when assessing a child’s risk of lead exposure, such as questions about the family’s broader neighborhood.1 In addition, Assembly Bill 746 would directly require public schools districts to regularly test their water supplies and address any sources of contamination.1
Both bills address a serious issue, as two percent of tested children in California have been exposed to lead.1 Furthermore, certain neighborhoods in California are hit particularly hard with lead exposure. CALmatters reports, “In Alameda County, eight zip codes showed rates higher than or equal to Flint. Zip codes within Los Angeles, Monterey and Humboldt counties also showed higher rates of childhood lead exposure. In one Fresno zip code, nearly 14 percent of the children tested had elevated levels of lead.”1

Additional contaminants

In the Central Valley of California, another water crisis looms. Many chemicals and contaminants are lurking in the water in San Joaquin Valley, including levels of arsenic exceeding federal safety levels by three times.2 Rural parts of the state have also discovered high levels of pesticides, nitrate, bacteria, and naturally occurring uranium.2 The Pacific Standard has noted, “According to the National Institute of Health, arsenic is a known carcinogen and exposure to arsenic as a child is associated with the higher risk of later developing cancer. And trihalomethanes may also be carcinogenic, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.”2
In the Central Valley, 1,600 public water violations were recorded by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, with approximately 40 percent of the violations located in just four counties and with San Joaquin Valley schools showing the highest concentration of water pollution.2 Despite the work of non-profit organizations and state agencies who are attempting to remedy this situation, some schools have turned off the water due to known bacterial and arsenic contamination.2 The availability of clean water is a serious issue facing children, with The Pacific Standard reporting that “…in 2003-2014, between 500,000 and one million schoolchildren lacked access to safe drinking water.”2

What can be done?

Multiple solutions are available to combat the contaminated water crisis in California’s Central Valley. For example, new legislation approved $9.5 million in funding for the Drinking Water for Schools Grant Program, which will support the installation of safe water systems for schools in low-income neighborhoods.2 Schools and communities with unsafe drinking water can also use a water filter to rid the water supply of contaminants as an interim solution until new water supplies are found or water systems installed.2
Educating the masses will prove useful as well. Public education can inform people how contaminated water affects the community and overall health. Public workshops and community events will expose people to the real dangers of unsafe drinking water, while also imparting practical knowledge. For example, one school held an assembly to talk to students about where their water comes from and what arsenic is. Public workshops are helpful to parents, who are worried about their children.2

References:

1. Elizabeth Aguilera. August 15, 2017. “Drinking lead – why California may force all schools to test their water.” CALmatters. https://calmatters.org/articles/legislature-considers-strict-lead-testing-requirements-schools/

2. Sasha Abramsky. July 7, 2017. “The Dangers Lurking in California School Drinking Fountains.” The Pacific Standard. https://psmag.com/environment/the-dangers-lurking-in-california-school-drinking-fountains