Crumbling Infrastructure Leaks Lead into Midwest Water Supply
Date Posted: July 19, 2022
Posted In: Discussion, News,
From St. Louis Public Radio: Blood lead levels of children in the Midwest are exceedingly high, and a new investigation shows lead water pipes are only part of the problem.
As Allison Kite of the Missouri Independent reports: “Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin, and scientists agree there is no safe level of lead in humans’ blood. Elevated blood lead levels can cause lost IQ points, behavioral problems and, in high doses, death. Young children are especially vulnerable to the toxin because their bodies absorb more of it.”
The Missouri Independent and NPR’s Midwest Newsroom are working together to produce Unleaded — an investigative reporting series that focuses on levels of lead in children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
According to the investigation, the lead industry has a history of spreading false claims that lead is safe for use in pipes, paint and gasoline. The Environmental Protection Agency now requires utility companies to find and remove lead pipes, but Kite said the total removal of lead pipes will be an uphill battle.
“St. Louis has about 50% of its service lines made of lead and does not have detailed information on where those lead service lines are and are not,” Kite told St. Louis on The Air. “I think the lack of information is pretty across the board.”
In some cases, like that of mitigation efforts in Trenton, Missouri,, chemical additives meant to reduce lead in the water supply actually made the problem worse.