lead contamination

Across the country, water utilities have been on the hunt for lead in pipes that connect homes and other buildings to water mains. And now, you can see what they found your pipes are made of.

The EPA announced a proposed update to the lead and copper rule strengthening President Joe Biden’s earlier goal of eradicating lead pipes.

The EPA estimates there are at least 150,000 lead service pipes in the state, meaning hundreds of thousands of Kansans may be drinking water from those pipes.

Lead left behind in soil from mining and smelting poses a major health risk to people who live nearby. Researchers in Nebraska and Kansas believe plant life and organic material can limit lead’s spread.

The lead industry characterized lead poisoning as a problem of poor people and minorities to protect its sales during the 20th century.

Dicen los investigadores que incluso una pequeña cantidad de la toxina puede dañar el desarrollo de los niños. Un estudio realizado en el año 2021 encontró que los niños en Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska y Missouri tenían una de las tasas más altas de los niveles elevados de plomo en la sangre.

Researchers say even a small amount of the toxin can harm kids’ development. One 2021 study found Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri had some of the highest rates of elevated blood lead levels in children.

The research will focus on soil in vacant lots and residential sites in the Kansas City area.

Midwestern states had some of the nation's highest percentages of kids with detectable blood-lead levels. And the authors of a new nationwide study say there is no amount of lead that is safe for children.

Colorado schools will soon get funding to voluntarily test for lead in their drinking water.As The Denver Post reports, House Bill 1306 received…