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What are the health effects of outdated lead piping being used for Water…

- - - - "Low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells." (Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water)
        
        Since we know that lead poisoning is linked to permanent problems like these and fairly common in cities around the country, I feel like the government should be more concerned and give more help to fix this issue.
    - - "EPA estimated that drinking water generally constitutes... 40 to 60% for infants who consume mostly infant formula... and up to 80% of children's daily exposure." (Lead Contamination of public drinking water and academic achievements among children in Massachusetts: a panel study.)
- - - - Places like Flint didn't get government funding, they had to work to get donations/grants from organizations, so that shows the amount of work that would need to be done to be able to fix the lead piping problem.
- - - - The children in these areas are being permanently affected by this crisis and it's negatively affecting their academic performance, setting them up for failure in the future.
    - - Areas with low-income/minority families are the most affected and then they are expected to be able to buy their own things in order to get clean water, something that they should be guaranteed. Not many would be willing to spend hundreds on filtration systems.
        
        Filters are also not practical because of how expensive they are. It will not help the areas that need it most,, leaving them with having contaminated water..
  - - - Since Springfield is a very old city, it makes sense that there would be more lead pipes here than in other places. Over time, the placement of lead pipes were probably forgotten and so they haven't been replaced.
- - - - "A water company could meet all the EPA's requirements and still have 9% of the homes sampled with hazardous levels of lead in their water." (Out of Plumb)
        
        So based on their rules, they're fine with some people having dangerous levels of lead in their water, but as long as most of them are fine, they won't do anything. Their standards should be raised so that all houses sampled meet all requirements because it's not fair that some people have to drink nasty water.
- - - - More money should be given by the government and they should make sure states put it towards the replacement of lead pipes, because with this law they didn't have to put it toward that, it was only if they wanted to.
  - - - "Sometimes filters can cause more harm than good. Dr. Nguyen's research revealed that if water sits in a faucet or under-sink filter for along period of time, such as overnight, it can actually pick up more contaminants, including lead... As a result, Dr. Nguyen said that it is important to flush your water filter for at least 10 seconds before drinking from it. Also, be sure to change your filter regularly... a filter is a bandage on a wound that needs surgery — the larger problem with the pipes or water supply still must be addressed." (Do Home Water Filters Work for PFAS and Other Contaminants? - NYT)
        
        I agree that they're not a practical solution. Not everyone is going to remember/want/have the time to regularly change the filter or let the water run, and they would end up drinking the heavily contaminated water. But I think as a short-term solution, it would be okay.
  - - - "Corrosion is a chemical reaction that happens between the water and the lead-containing plumbing fixture. Certain qualities of the water—for example, acidity ...—can play a major role in that reaction." (Causes and Effects of Lead in Water)
        
        "In 2001, Washington, D.C., changed its disinfectant from free chlorine to chloramines without first studying the potential impact. The chloramines made the water far more corrosive, and tragically, extremely high lead levels pervaded the city. (D.C. is still working to fix its lead problem today.)" (Causes and Effects of Lead in Water)
        
        If there are going to be water treatment changes, there should be tests done to see the potential effects of it, instead of just going into it with no knowledge of what could happen. Now these people have to deal with drinking contaminated water for years.