https://sputnikglobe.com/20240319/nearly-70-of-children-under-six-exposed-to-lead-in-chicago-drinking-water---study-1117419463.html
Nearly 70% of Children Under Six Exposed to Lead in Chicago Drinking Water - Study
Nearly 70% of Children Under Six Exposed to Lead in Chicago Drinking Water - Study
Sputnik International
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lead exposure can affect multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to young children and women of child-bearing age. The organization adds that children absorb 4 to 5 times as much lead as adults from a given source.
2024-03-19T05:51+0000
2024-03-19T05:51+0000
2024-03-19T05:51+0000
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A study, published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, has estimated that nearly 70% of children in the US city of Chicago may have been exposed to poisonous lead in their household tap water caused by lead pipes. The study added that young children in Black and Latino communities were possibly exposed at higher rates than other children.The analysis was led by researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which found that 68% of Chicago children under that age of six live in households with tap water containing detectable levels of lead, while 75% of residential city blocks had been potentially exposed.The study looked at household existing data taken between 2016 and 2023, and were taken from homes that had registered for a free, self-administered testing service, the study said. Nearly 40,000 households were involved in the program.According to WHO, lead is a toxic metal found in the Earth’s crust. While it is natural, its man-made use has resulted in “extensive environmental contamination, human exposure and significant public health problems in many parts of the world.” The organization adds that there is “no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects” but exposure is preventable.The study estimated that 19% of Chicago children who have been given unfiltered tap water as their primary drinking source have about twice as much lead in their blood as they would otherwise.“I think residents have reason to be concerned,” said Benjamin Huynh, a public health professor and co-author of the study. “I think this should be a call to get your water tested for lead, see what the results are, then make your decisions accordingly.”The threshold that the researchers used for their study was the lowest detectable level of lead in the water tests which is one part per billion—roughly the equivalent of a half teaspoon of water in an olympic-size swimming pool, the report explains. And 69% of the tests exceeded this level.The level of lead in drinking water must be at least 15 ppb for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suggest taking action. The researchers found that 9% of the tests had lead levels over 15 ppb. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for state and local governments to limit the lead in school drinking fountains to no more than 1 ppb.Studies have shown that even small exposures to lead can affect childhood brain development and contribute to preterm births, heart problems and kidney disease. Lead pipes were commonly used in construction before they were banned in the US in 1986.And while many US cities still use these old lead pipes—with more than 9.2 million households in the US getting their water this way, says the EPA—Chicago has more than any other city. The EPA has suggested that US cities replace all lead water service lines within 10 years, while Chicago would be given 40 years to comply.“If we’re looking at 40 more years of contaminated drinking water, what does that mean for the children?” Huynh said. “What can we do about that in the meantime?”
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Nearly 70% of Children Under Six Exposed to Lead in Chicago Drinking Water - Study
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lead exposure can affect multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to young children and women of child-bearing age. The organization adds that children absorb 4 to 5 times as much lead as adults from a given source.
A
study, published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, has estimated that nearly 70% of children in the US city of Chicago may have been exposed to poisonous lead in their household tap water caused by lead pipes. The study added that young children in Black and Latino communities were possibly exposed at higher rates than other children.
The analysis was led by researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which found that 68% of Chicago children under that age of six live in households with tap water containing detectable levels of lead, while 75% of residential city blocks had been potentially exposed.
The study looked at household existing data taken between 2016 and 2023, and were taken from homes that had registered for a free, self-administered testing service, the study said. Nearly 40,000 households were involved in the program.
According to
WHO, lead is a toxic metal found in the Earth’s crust. While it is natural, its man-made use has resulted in “extensive environmental contamination, human exposure and significant public health problems in many parts of the world.” The organization adds that there is “no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects” but exposure is preventable.
The study estimated that 19% of Chicago children who have been given unfiltered tap water as their primary drinking source have about twice as much lead in their blood as they would otherwise.
“I think residents have reason to be concerned,” said
Benjamin Huynh, a public health professor and co-author of the study. “I think this should be a call to get your water tested for lead, see what the results are, then make your decisions accordingly.”
The threshold that the researchers used for their study was the lowest detectable level of lead in the water tests which is one part per billion—roughly the equivalent of a half teaspoon of water in an olympic-size swimming pool, the report explains. And 69% of the tests exceeded this level.
The level of lead in drinking water must be at least 15 ppb for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suggest taking action. The researchers found that 9% of the tests had lead levels over 15 ppb. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for state and local governments to limit the lead in school drinking fountains to no more than 1 ppb.
Studies have shown that even small exposures to lead can affect childhood brain development and contribute to preterm births, heart problems and kidney disease. Lead pipes were commonly used in construction before they were banned in the US in 1986.
And while many US cities still use these old lead pipes—with more than 9.2 million households in the US getting their water this way, says the EPA—Chicago has more than any other city. The EPA has suggested that US cities replace all lead water service lines within 10 years, while Chicago would be given 40 years to comply.
“If we’re looking at 40 more years of contaminated drinking water, what does that mean for the children?” Huynh said. “What can we do about that in the meantime?”
