NATIONAL – Lead contamination in water in the District

Although the lead contamination of tap water in Flint, Michigan has drawn much national attention, it appears this crisis is not an isolated one. For instance, in Sebring, Ohio, water tests found similarly unsafe levels of lead in the city’s drinking reserve. In 2001 in the District of Columbia, water disinfection methods were changed which subsequently led to huge spike in the lead contamination of tap water, about 20-times the previous levels. In this situation, residents were not alerted for years, and many lead water pipes were eventually pulled from Washington’s water system. In major cities, like New York City and Philadelphia, routine testing frequently finds high levels of lead contamination in tap water. The Environmental Protection Agency says this is because bodies of water which provide tap water to 1/3 of the U.S. population are not yet covered by clean water laws which limit toxic pollutants.