The Flint water issue is just the tip of the iceberg. All municipalities across the nation are faced with this problem. It is interesting the article notes lack of funds to make corrections. How long will we continue to drink the KOOL-Aid of 'lower my taxes' and read about fundamental structural failures and inadequacies? When will we be ready to "belly up to the bar" and pay for the neglect we have placed on our town, cities and states?
1
Please don't tell me anyone is surprised by this. Our children drink tainted water, our nation's roads are crumbling, our bridges are falling down, our train beds are dangerous. But is our Congress taking any action to help states or communities with our collapsing infrastructure? HELL no! Congress prefers to hold committee hearings to investigate non-issues, or even better, do nothing.
Fire our Do-Nothing Congress.
Fire our Do-Nothing Congress.
4
What's amazing to me is that not only did these water systems not appear in a beam of light from heaven, neither did the schools. They were built pipe-by-pipe and wall-by-wall by Americans from the early 20th century, when there were also wars to pay for, a Great Depression, and far less construction technology. Indeed, there was just far less money and resources per American. But still, they were able to build those schools where there had just been bare ground?
We all know how much tougher our grandparents had it. How the heck could THEY afford to build schools from scratch, and our 80-years-later America cannot afford to rebuild them, renovate them, or at least keep them in repair?
Since there's actually more money total in the society, one can only fault that society's priorities. Just a for-instance: the cost of running Guantanamo would fix up about 100 schools a year, permanently. Or run a national lead-testing program with enough left over to subsidize 75% of the repairs it found needed.The cost of buying and running one carrier strike group (USA has 11) for 25 years is enough to address all the serious infrastructure problems of American schools.
If the USA started spending money where it was needed, and stopped spending it where it was doing nothing, or indeed active harm, it would discover it is actually a very rich nation.
We all know how much tougher our grandparents had it. How the heck could THEY afford to build schools from scratch, and our 80-years-later America cannot afford to rebuild them, renovate them, or at least keep them in repair?
Since there's actually more money total in the society, one can only fault that society's priorities. Just a for-instance: the cost of running Guantanamo would fix up about 100 schools a year, permanently. Or run a national lead-testing program with enough left over to subsidize 75% of the repairs it found needed.The cost of buying and running one carrier strike group (USA has 11) for 25 years is enough to address all the serious infrastructure problems of American schools.
If the USA started spending money where it was needed, and stopped spending it where it was doing nothing, or indeed active harm, it would discover it is actually a very rich nation.
4
Does anyone know if filter systems such as Brita and Pur have any effect in lowering the amount of lead in the water? Is this a useful way to deal with it, or is bottled drinking water the way to go? Also, it's my understanding that even bottled waters aren't under any sort of government regulation. Is that true???? Would love to know this as I have kids who drink water all day long.
1
Those filters remove particles, even very small particles. Some lead may be in that form depending on how it is coming out of the pipes - if in particles, then yes. But it can also corrode at the level of individual lead ions (molecules) in the water - far too small for charcoal filters to catch. Look for "reverse osmosis" filters and bring your checkbook. Sorry.
Our politicians (on both sides of the aisle, but especially the Republicans) have found it far easier over the past 20 years to meddle in ill-fated "nation building" on other continents while the infrastructure of our own nation is crumbling before our eyes. Think of how much better off we would be spending less money on wars, democratizing people who don't want democracy, and building nations incapable of being built, and more money on roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, and the electricity grid. Then think of all of the job creation that would go with it.
2
Apparently it does not torment them enough.
This was an excellent eyeopening article, but clearly an introductory look at a problem that has been with us for some time. In order to solve the problem much more will have to be examined. There is enough blame to spread around and it is disgraceful how politicians love to point their finger at somebody else and ignore the solutions to the problem. Parents all over the country will start asking questions soon after reading this article.
1
"Tainted water is not the biggest source of lead exposure in humans; on average, the E.P.A. says, it makes up about a fifth of contamination."
It's strange that this sentence is left dangling. What is the biggest source of lead exposure? Where does the other four-fifths of contamination come from? That seems like important information.
It's strange that this sentence is left dangling. What is the biggest source of lead exposure? Where does the other four-fifths of contamination come from? That seems like important information.
2
The direct and indirect costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are someplace in the range of one and a half Trillion Dollars.
We could have opened a new foundry in the USA for pipes and fixtures, made them all with Gold, paid the workers $100K a year each, and replaced every pipe and fixture in every school in the USA and still have change left over.
We could have opened a new foundry in the USA for pipes and fixtures, made them all with Gold, paid the workers $100K a year each, and replaced every pipe and fixture in every school in the USA and still have change left over.
3
Infrastructure is not a priority and when it is brought up, it is criticized by Republican governors and legislatures as "too big government." Our basic needs--water, clean air, roads, highways, bridges, dams, power plants, etc. have all been neglected. Once built, they have to be maintained. Military spending is one budget allocation while infrastructure is basically left for the states with a smaller federal expenditure. Also, federal regulatory agencies have been defunded or starved by Republicans which means they cannot function to alert the public. In business, It's called risk assessment. We need a civilian corps to rebuild America and to employ those who have been left by the roadside because of trade agreements.
5
Mary's comment touches on a central problem to how our whole society is structured physically in mortar and steel, as well as financially, in the bonds and funding structures which support our great public works. The issue of maintenance is traditionally considered an expense component. This leaves the taxpayers with the burdens of funding all-too-often-deferred maintenance, because the incentive is to have catastrophic failure cause new capital construction over proper and ongoing, responsible maintenance.
1
I attended a public school in Jersey City in the 1950s. We mostly did not drink from the water fountains because the water usually had a strong metallic taste even at that time.
2
Dr. John Rosen, the ''father'' of the law, known as, ''Local Law 1" in the City of New York, was the sole voice than refused to yield and sound the alarm on the need to banish lead from the environment of our poor.
He would be the first to be pointing out that schools are finding lead for one reason: they are objectively and methodically testing for it.
Villages, towns, and cities throughout the United State, particularly in the oldest industrialized areas have this problem buried in their soil.
It exists in old buildings. It exists in the ''grey area'' between under the street piping, and house connections. And it is highly vulnerable to changes in water chemistry every bit as much as Flint. When the salinity and the acidity of water changes due to supply or treatment, this lead reenters the whole system in such settings, often completely undetected.
This nation has a fundamental problem. It puts the dollar over life. It allows private families like the Kochs to invest in privatizing potable water, while actively lobbying to pollute through fracking and irresponsible waste disposal methods. It defunds, defangs, and destroys the budgets and mandates of the EPA in the moronic phrased of ''reducing big government'' and ''Making America Great Again'' and convincing the undereducated, unemployed Trump backer that they will get a 'real job' if only we 'get rid of the regulators.'
That's what this story is really about.
He would be the first to be pointing out that schools are finding lead for one reason: they are objectively and methodically testing for it.
Villages, towns, and cities throughout the United State, particularly in the oldest industrialized areas have this problem buried in their soil.
It exists in old buildings. It exists in the ''grey area'' between under the street piping, and house connections. And it is highly vulnerable to changes in water chemistry every bit as much as Flint. When the salinity and the acidity of water changes due to supply or treatment, this lead reenters the whole system in such settings, often completely undetected.
This nation has a fundamental problem. It puts the dollar over life. It allows private families like the Kochs to invest in privatizing potable water, while actively lobbying to pollute through fracking and irresponsible waste disposal methods. It defunds, defangs, and destroys the budgets and mandates of the EPA in the moronic phrased of ''reducing big government'' and ''Making America Great Again'' and convincing the undereducated, unemployed Trump backer that they will get a 'real job' if only we 'get rid of the regulators.'
That's what this story is really about.
13
Water filters. Repiping neighborhoods is a long project. The installation of water filters can be completed in one day.
Standard water filters do not completely remove lead from water. I looked online for the top-rated lead water filters to find out about this. None of the makers of these filters claim that their product completely removes lead; instead, they like to use the term "reduces" contaminants in their promotional materials. All of these filters are marketed to allegedly reduce multiple contaminants, and only the top-rated ones include lead in their lists of contaminants. "Reducing" is not the same as completely removing lead from water. The marketers' claims are probably based on the CDC's allowable lead level. Anyone depending on one of these filters to remove lead from their tap water is just getting a lower dose of lead than without the filter.
workerbee, even the EPA does not require that drinking water be completely free of lead, or any of the other dozens of contaminants that it is mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (and, its many amendments since 1974) to monitor.
The National Sanitation Foundation is a good source of information regarding the efficacy of water filtration systems.
The National Sanitation Foundation is a good source of information regarding the efficacy of water filtration systems.
Only "poor" people who don't count attend public schools. Why should the "ruling class" care if a few children are harmed? These people don't vote the way they should and thus are "non-citizens" of this country.
If you think this is a snide remark, simply take a look at the gerrymandering that has changed this nation over the last 50 years. The only people who count are those who vote the way they are told to. The rest of us do not count.
If you think this is a snide remark, simply take a look at the gerrymandering that has changed this nation over the last 50 years. The only people who count are those who vote the way they are told to. The rest of us do not count.
2
Just more evidence that the austerity measures have done a significant amount of damage in our ability fix the problems and cost more than they save.
Remember a decade is only ten years. 30 plus years of of austerity has done this to us.
Remember a decade is only ten years. 30 plus years of of austerity has done this to us.
1
Well, it is an old story and on where no one wants to bell the cat. Since the inception and wide spread use of electric water coolers, the storage cooling tanks and many other components have been lead. Has Uncle Sam or EPA done anything about this "love canal" for all, NO! How long has this been true and available knowledge to all, SINCE THE 1950'S!
Should we blame the cities, states, and providers for new knowledge and changes in codes to the point of making them pay for now substandard water piped in and to houses?
Is there ample responsibility for builders, codes departments, and individuals to become aware of the needs for safe water in the home, school, and cities?
Lets get out big boy britches on and let responsibility fall on where the buck stops!
Should we blame the cities, states, and providers for new knowledge and changes in codes to the point of making them pay for now substandard water piped in and to houses?
Is there ample responsibility for builders, codes departments, and individuals to become aware of the needs for safe water in the home, school, and cities?
Lets get out big boy britches on and let responsibility fall on where the buck stops!
1
Here's the money sentence in this article:
"Under industry pressure, Congress defined “lead-free” in the amendment as no more than 8 percent lead."
What else has Congress re-defiined "under industry pressure"?
=> "organic"
=> 'climate"
=> "poverty"
=> The second amendment
=>"bank"
And now with privatization of public services underway:
=>"welfare"
=> "prison"
=> "school"
Of course we, as taxpayers, are complicit in this. We don't want to see our taxes rise to pay for things like the replacement of (gasp) government-funded "infra-structure"... so we accept these agreeable redefinitions because they don't affect anyone WE know in OUR neighborhood... and then we shake our heads in bewilderment when someone like Donald Trump gets traction...
"Under industry pressure, Congress defined “lead-free” in the amendment as no more than 8 percent lead."
What else has Congress re-defiined "under industry pressure"?
=> "organic"
=> 'climate"
=> "poverty"
=> The second amendment
=>"bank"
And now with privatization of public services underway:
=>"welfare"
=> "prison"
=> "school"
Of course we, as taxpayers, are complicit in this. We don't want to see our taxes rise to pay for things like the replacement of (gasp) government-funded "infra-structure"... so we accept these agreeable redefinitions because they don't affect anyone WE know in OUR neighborhood... and then we shake our heads in bewilderment when someone like Donald Trump gets traction...
2
The obvious solution to this potentially very serious problem is simply to remove (or at least turn off) all school water fountains until the problem is fixed.
water coolers (using large bottles of the type used in many offices) would provide drinking water and water for cooking. Water with dangerously high lead levels is still useable for showering, toilets, and hand washing. Paper plates and plastic cups would be used in food service, so plates would not have to be washed in dangerous water.
water coolers (using large bottles of the type used in many offices) would provide drinking water and water for cooking. Water with dangerously high lead levels is still useable for showering, toilets, and hand washing. Paper plates and plastic cups would be used in food service, so plates would not have to be washed in dangerous water.
2
On the whole, lead poisoning is not a partisan issue. It is mostly caused by environmental factors unrelated to water. To the extent that it is related to water, it is caused by industrial waste and old pipes. Newark's lead problem has been known for years. New Jersey water studies have regularly had a special section on Newark because the lead problem there far outstrips the rest of the state. Newark is an extremely poor city located nearby countless polluting industries. Many other poor cities across the country have the same problem. Many of the polluting industries provide vital products and services, The long-term solution to the problem is to clean them up The short term solution is to distribute them equitably, not disproportionately in and near poor cities. Both Republicans and Democrats are opposed to redistribution. Not in my backyard.
2
Wonder what the lead content is in the D.C. Friends school. ( The one where D.C.'s "Royalty" children go)?
2
'But a federal appeals court struck down part of the law affecting schools in 1996.'
Who, WHO, sued to prevent lead contamination testing and mitigation? WHO?
Who, WHO, sued to prevent lead contamination testing and mitigation? WHO?
5
Foricing towns to incur the cost of replacing old water mains will not eliminate the problem of lead-in-water (LIW) until building owners are required to replace or retrofit the pipes in their buildings or those on their properties that connect to the publicly-owned water mains Landlords are responsible for addressing hazards posed by lead paint in their buildings but not yet LIW from lead piping.
1
Yes, this is a huge issue for communities across our country. One huge story that's being ignored is why the Republican governor and legislature in Michigan allows a foreign company, Nestle, to pump fresh water from the Great Lakes only to sell it for profit. Nestle is headed by a CEO who thinks that water isn't a human right.
8
Having worked in environmental analysis this is exactly the truth I have feared.
4
According to a Harvard study, kids 6-19 don't drink nearly enough water. In fact 25% of them don't drink any water. Think back to when you were in school. You probably drank from a water fountain in the building less than once a day. Athletes after school are often at separate facilities and are usually drinking sports drinks. Notice that they tested the water without testing any kids. I'm guessing that there is not a lead problem at any of these schools but that after Flint, this lead thing became fashionable.
2
There is and always has been plenty of money to fix this problem through regular maintenance and upgrades to school buildings. In constant dollars, we as a country have doubled per pupil expenditures on k-12 education in this country since 1970.
http://www.cato.org/blog/school-funding-system-not-broken-it-just-doesnt...
The problem is with the incentives for the elected officials who spend the money.
1. For every dollar that gets spent as teacher salaries, a percentage is collected in teachers union dues, and politicians get part of that back in campaign contributions from the union.
2. For every dollar that gets spent on maintenance, maybe half of it goes to personnel salaries. A percentage of that 50 cents, may be collected as union dues (maybe AFSCME) and politicians get part of that back in campaign contributions. But the other 50 cents goes into materials, and unless the system is totally corrupt and suppliers give politicians kick-backs, politicians don't get a return on it.
3. Teachers unions always want more money, complain to politicians, threaten to go on strike, and are something the politicians have to think about every day.
4. Buildings and plumbing systems can't talk, complain or go on strike (except to break) and are the last things politicians running schools think about.
What do you think the politicians running schools are going to spend money on?
http://www.cato.org/blog/school-funding-system-not-broken-it-just-doesnt...
The problem is with the incentives for the elected officials who spend the money.
1. For every dollar that gets spent as teacher salaries, a percentage is collected in teachers union dues, and politicians get part of that back in campaign contributions from the union.
2. For every dollar that gets spent on maintenance, maybe half of it goes to personnel salaries. A percentage of that 50 cents, may be collected as union dues (maybe AFSCME) and politicians get part of that back in campaign contributions. But the other 50 cents goes into materials, and unless the system is totally corrupt and suppliers give politicians kick-backs, politicians don't get a return on it.
3. Teachers unions always want more money, complain to politicians, threaten to go on strike, and are something the politicians have to think about every day.
4. Buildings and plumbing systems can't talk, complain or go on strike (except to break) and are the last things politicians running schools think about.
What do you think the politicians running schools are going to spend money on?
3
We do not have our priorities in order.
1. safe air
2.safe water
3.safe food
3.safe roads and bridges
999. tax loopholes for hedge funds
1. safe air
2.safe water
3.safe food
3.safe roads and bridges
999. tax loopholes for hedge funds
5
Do you really think that a government that hasn't stopped the food debit program(formerly the food stamp program), from allowing foods with too much fat, salt, and sugar, namely: candy, chips, donuts, pizza, and pop, etc. to be purchased with the program, which has directly contributed to the unhealthy population over the last 40 years, an epidemic of diabetes, has enough resources to expend in the water systems across America? No, the borrowed money by the government each year is being expended on treating people that are unhealthy. Of course, there are the wars since the Vietnam War that have squandered trillions, too. So that is your answer. America, the not great much to Hillary Clinton's chagrin. And no, I would never vote for Donald Trump!
3
Another example of governmental incompetence and indifference. The greatest country on earth, I think not.
5
Another nail in the coffin for Ayn Rand apologists. Anti-government, anti-regulation, everything-for-profit... this is the result. Our children's health is put at risk by random chance. Your kids go to the "right" school, no problem; if you are unlucky, tough luck, you get lead in the water, stunted mental growth and you are destined to a low-level life as an underling of the rich and powerful.
This is not the America I dreamt of. This is not the America the founding fathers were dreaming of. Please let's stop with this Randian dystopia. We need stronger regulations to protect our citizens, a stronger government to enforce them, and higher tax revenue to rebuild our infrastructure with. Enough is enough. The 1% have earned enough money, it's time they start giving something back to society. They are the real moochers.
This is not the America I dreamt of. This is not the America the founding fathers were dreaming of. Please let's stop with this Randian dystopia. We need stronger regulations to protect our citizens, a stronger government to enforce them, and higher tax revenue to rebuild our infrastructure with. Enough is enough. The 1% have earned enough money, it's time they start giving something back to society. They are the real moochers.
8
Distillation removes metals such as lead and copper from water. For 30 years we have had a home distiller in our basement producing more than enough for all of our drinking and cooking water. Ours is the high end automatic home variety advertised on the internet now for less than $2,000. In quantity they should be available for much less. Simpler but effective counter top models are available now for less then $1,000. I imagine a school would need even larger "industrial" models, but they should be cheaper than tearing up whole water lines. I admit the manufactures are probably not set up for producing the large numbers needed for schools, much less for all the families in towns such as Flint. But we were able to rapidly mobilize industry to produce planes in WW Two. Simple stainless steel water distillers should not be a problem. And think of the jobs that would created in meeting an important social need.
3
It would be cheaper to change out the piping. Not to mention it takes energy to run your distiller
"Distillation removes metals such as lead and copper from water."
Distillation is the only sure way to remove lead from water, but the kleptocrats who control Michigan's government are assuring everybody that simple filters will remove the lead. They're lying. Home filters are the cheap way to deal with a potentially expensive problem that will require government involvement and the expenditure of public money and probable raising of taxes.
Distillation is the only sure way to remove lead from water, but the kleptocrats who control Michigan's government are assuring everybody that simple filters will remove the lead. They're lying. Home filters are the cheap way to deal with a potentially expensive problem that will require government involvement and the expenditure of public money and probable raising of taxes.
2
OK, you run the distiller, but then the water still has to pass through pipes to get into the kitchen faucet or the drinking fountain in a school. It is in those pipes or the joints thereof that lead gets into the water.
2
Sad that the water issue is not a new one. I worked on a book regarding the industry in 1998 and it was common knowledge then we were under-funding our water infrastructure and that Americans thought water was a free unlimited resource.
Water utilities in the country have always had trouble increasing rates as ratepayers and politicians failed to see the need to upgrade/overbuild existing systems.
Water bills tend to average $10 - $30 per month, while electric and gas can be in the $75 - $250 per month if not more.
Amazing how when you go overseas how water is treated so differently
Water utilities in the country have always had trouble increasing rates as ratepayers and politicians failed to see the need to upgrade/overbuild existing systems.
Water bills tend to average $10 - $30 per month, while electric and gas can be in the $75 - $250 per month if not more.
Amazing how when you go overseas how water is treated so differently
5
Where we really have to get the lead out is from our government overseers and obfuscators.
2
This is what you get when your über-capitalist culture supplants God and rational thinking with the worship of money. The emphasis is on cutting taxes and offering loopholes for corporations and wealthy individuals. In the meantime everything that serves the people is cut back. The schools are old, the water infrastructure is old, as are our roads and bridges, our electrical grids and nuclear power plants, our ports, our mass transit systems, and even our internet, all outdated and increasingly dysfunctional.
A good, well-run country takes money. We can't have a modern country and low taxes. That's a reality those we keep electing to represent us simply deny. Yes, cutting taxes is a great line for a stump speech, but it's a line that's been used long enough so that we are now seeing how the results of that taxation "policy" has left this country in dangerous disrepair.
I would just add that the young people who are suffering the brunt of this irresponsibility will not be as tolerant and forgiving as their complacent, money-grubbing elders.
A good, well-run country takes money. We can't have a modern country and low taxes. That's a reality those we keep electing to represent us simply deny. Yes, cutting taxes is a great line for a stump speech, but it's a line that's been used long enough so that we are now seeing how the results of that taxation "policy" has left this country in dangerous disrepair.
I would just add that the young people who are suffering the brunt of this irresponsibility will not be as tolerant and forgiving as their complacent, money-grubbing elders.
6
It won't matter what they feel about what has been done to them as they will be developmentally disabled and unable to act on their own behalf. Similar to the Caribbean method of converting people into slave zombies with drugs.
1
Lead in the paint, lead in the water and lead in the skies. Small planes (general aviation) still run on leaded gasoline and contribute half the lead in our atmosphere. Most egregious of all is skydiving, which is the #1 worst sport for the environment due to all the lead emissions it causes as the small plane, with a more powerful engine than most, flies a tight pattern repeatedly over a small geographical area. There are many more general aviation airports than people realize...more than 50 in New Jersey alone. These are mainly pilots and skydivers out for a joy ride, a tiny fraction of the population spewing lead over all of us, which we breathe and ingest as it sinks to and contaminates the ground below. Small planes and skydiving are also extremely dangerous...from ten to 60 times more likely to result in death than deiving. We need much, much tighter regulation of small planes and skydiving.
3
Small planes (general aviation) still run on leaded gasoline and contribute half the lead in our atmosphere.
======================
Check your figures - more than half of general aviation planes are turboprops that run on Jet-A
======================
Check your figures - more than half of general aviation planes are turboprops that run on Jet-A
1
Whether it is school water systems or highways and bridges, we have been stretching the infrastructure bequeathed us in the 1940s and 1950s without more than an occasional tweak here and there. So we are sponging off of the work of two previous generations and leaving a huge repair bill for the next generation. As long as the Republicans refuse to pay for infrastructure improvements through any means but reallocation of existing revenues we will continue on the path to becoming a second-rate country. Education infrastructure is in dire need of new money. We have squandered a golden opportunity to increase state and federal gas taxes while prices at the pump are at historic lows simply because Republicans have made "taxes" a dirty word. The biggest fiction of all is that Americans are overtaxed, whether for schools or highways. We need to wake up to our responsibilities, people.
25
Whether it is school water systems or highways and bridges, we have been stretching the infrastructure bequeathed us in the 1940s and 1950s without more than an occasional tweak here and there. So we are sponging off of the work of two previous generations and leaving a huge repair bill for the next generation
======================
Maybe you have been "sponging off the work of two previous generations" but we have all sorts of new infrastructure here in Colorado. We're rebuilding the I-25 corridor through Denver and replacing the old bridges and overpasses. Most of our schools are less than 25 years old as they have been built to accommodate new population moving into the state.
Our airport here was opened in 1995. We repurposed the old airport into mixed use housing and shopping.
Why do deep-blue states like yours and those in the Northeast have all these problems with creaky infrastructure? You are the people who claim to know all about this stuff, but it appears you never do anything about it and then say it's all the Republicans' fault.
======================
Maybe you have been "sponging off the work of two previous generations" but we have all sorts of new infrastructure here in Colorado. We're rebuilding the I-25 corridor through Denver and replacing the old bridges and overpasses. Most of our schools are less than 25 years old as they have been built to accommodate new population moving into the state.
Our airport here was opened in 1995. We repurposed the old airport into mixed use housing and shopping.
Why do deep-blue states like yours and those in the Northeast have all these problems with creaky infrastructure? You are the people who claim to know all about this stuff, but it appears you never do anything about it and then say it's all the Republicans' fault.
4
Do you know that for years, half of the federal gasoline tax has been used by the government for other items in the budget? That is how they do things in Washington, tax and then use the money for something else. Until, they can get past that method, why should they raise the federal gasoline tax? As someone who spends over 10,000 miles with my husband driving out west, and in the south each year, I can tell which interstates are in poor, fair, and great shape.
2
Suggestion to NYTimes: put together a graphic that shows all the cities, towns, hamlets, schools, rural areas that suffer from contaminated water. Post this graphic everyday on the front page. Keep adding to the graph as new contamination areas are discovered because we all know there is more contamination out there than what is known today. Until and unless it is clear that this not an isolated problem, nothing will be done at the federal level. We owe our fellow countrymen clean, uncontaminated water. And,we must bring to account industry and state, local and federal governments.
8
Parents should sue the government for the billions sent to foreign countries that should be spent on clean water for schools and cities.
4
Remember that the president of Afghanistan was complaining that the US was not sending his bribes on time. Wonder why we are in deep trouble?
1
The government has to give permission for one to file suit against it. Not likely when the trillions (not billions) spent on foreign wars was allocated by a democratically elected Congress.
A trillion a year for military/security (death & destruction). When it comes to drinking fountains for our students--who has the money to fix them?
What a failed country we live in.
What a failed country we live in.
9
One might think that the principals or superintendents might have been thinking about school safety and and not asleep dreaming of their entitlements and retirement benefits. Don't count on the government, All the mayors, governors and state reps have long been paid off.
And what have we learned today in class?
And what have we learned today in class?
1
The primary function of principals is the academic activity of the school. They are not expected to be experts in the utilities of the buildings they are assigned to; This is the job of several other groups.
1
What is it exactly that Congress does for the people of the United States without corruption passing to its members - things Congress does just because its the right thing to do, such as getting lead out of the drinking water of our kids. "No new taxes" is a campaign slogan to get elected without having to do anything - other than letting the billionaires get richer and the Country fall apart.
6
Local schools are still primarily the responsibility of local governments.
All the examples shown here are from governments Democrats have controlled for decades.
It doesn't appear that their priorities are children
All the examples shown here are from governments Democrats have controlled for decades.
It doesn't appear that their priorities are children
1
I asked my congressman and he said "I'd like to help you son, but you're too young to vote"
Line from the song "(there's an't no cure for" The Summertime Blues".
Line from the song "(there's an't no cure for" The Summertime Blues".
Since Flint, lead in drinking water has garnered all kinds of attention and proper priorities have been skewed. There is no safe level of lead in anybody's body. But the priorities are clear. Preschool children exposed to lead face dire health consequences. Harm to school age children, particularly high school children, is far less severe. In a perfect world, nobody would have lead in their blood. In the world we live in, resources should be heavily dedicated to preschoolers. If the choice is between examining the poorest preschoolers and the local high school, that's a no-brainer.
4
Can the Times also run an article going into greater detail on the learning and behavioral effects of lead exposure on kids? I'm beginning to suspect that lead exposure of low income and/or non-white kids has some correlation with juvenile crime rates and high school graduation rates over time. This could help us understand partially why some school districts can't seem to keep students at grade-level proficiency no matter how much attention or money is hurled at the problem (i.e. Jersey City).
13
Alex, Why don't you get off your butt and write the report?.... Stop waiting for other people to do things for you!!!
1
You are not the first person to suggest this could be the case. Here are a few bits of research that point to childhood lead exposure as a factor in juvenile crime.
http://www.precaution.org/lib/covanta_44.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/027273589090105J
http://www.precaution.org/lib/crime_trends_and_preschool_lead_exposure.0...
And also, a good piece from Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/08/lead-crime-racism-black-wh...
http://www.precaution.org/lib/covanta_44.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/027273589090105J
http://www.precaution.org/lib/crime_trends_and_preschool_lead_exposure.0...
And also, a good piece from Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/08/lead-crime-racism-black-wh...
14
Great comment! More research should be done about this issue.
"in lead pipes, water-cooler coils and linings, and in leaded-metal fountains and taps." I think what they are describing is lead solder used in plumbing joints.
All these words and not one clear idea of what is really causing the problem. Sounds like we need a few more million dollar studies to find out what a plumber might tell you in a few minutes.
All these words and not one clear idea of what is really causing the problem. Sounds like we need a few more million dollar studies to find out what a plumber might tell you in a few minutes.
6
Wonderful. I've been drinking from the fountain directly outside my LA Unified classroom for years, because bottled water is a wasteful sham. At least I filter it.
We spend trillions bombing foreign dirt in the name of protecting America. We spend billions subsidizing big oil, ag, Wall St, and corporations. Spending millions to protect kids and teachers, however, is out of the question.
It's fine. We'll recoup our money in class action suits, I'm sure.
We spend trillions bombing foreign dirt in the name of protecting America. We spend billions subsidizing big oil, ag, Wall St, and corporations. Spending millions to protect kids and teachers, however, is out of the question.
It's fine. We'll recoup our money in class action suits, I'm sure.
10
Spending millions to protect kids and teachers, however, is out of the question.
==================
Maybe you should take it up with Mayor Garcetti or Gov. Brown? They are the ones responsible
==================
Maybe you should take it up with Mayor Garcetti or Gov. Brown? They are the ones responsible
unless you are using a filter specifically designed to remove heavy metals, it won't have any effect on the lead in your water.
Let's see red state, loser governors like Snyder and Christie grow a conscience and get money to mow down and create new, healthy schools from all that Koch money they get for their campaigns. Instead of stimulating their enormous egos, they can stimulate the sorry state of public education where they "govern" and they are not breaking their signed pledge that swears to the Koch boys that they will never, ever do anything about climate change that will cost Koch any money. So how about it christie/snyder, stop being the self-serving, aggrandizing, anti-democracy pin heads you have been and enter the state of morality, conscientiousness, and responsibility to those you are sworn to govern instead of those you signed on to, to serve.
7
I rest my case.
1
You can't seriously thing New Jersey is a red state???????
3
Oh, yes those evil Koch brothers. The ones that donate millions to:
United Negro College Fund
PBS in general and the NOVA series in particular
ACLU
The Nature Conservancy
Donations to higher education programs at 300 colleges and Universities since 2011
Research in criminal justice reform and an end to asset forfeiture programs (working with ACLU and Center for American Progress)
Smithsonian Institution
American Museum of Natural History
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City Ballet
American Ballet Theater
$1.2 billion
United Negro College Fund
PBS in general and the NOVA series in particular
ACLU
The Nature Conservancy
Donations to higher education programs at 300 colleges and Universities since 2011
Research in criminal justice reform and an end to asset forfeiture programs (working with ACLU and Center for American Progress)
Smithsonian Institution
American Museum of Natural History
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City Ballet
American Ballet Theater
$1.2 billion
2
Now that Republicans in Michigan have been singled out, consider the possibility that systemic lack of leadership and pathological decision making in these democrat strongholds are indeed PB induced and comparable to the human behavior inferred from remains of the Franklin expedition, 1845.
1
An important issue to be sure. I would have liked to see more specifics of tested water levels (i.e., average levels at each school compared to the 15 ppb CDC standard) and blood levels (compared to the 5 ug/dL CDC standard). It should also be noted that lead-containing paint chips continue to be the primary source of poisoning.
2
This us a very easy problem to solve.
The obvious answer is more tax cuts for the rich !!
It has always worked so well before.
The obvious answer is more tax cuts for the rich !!
It has always worked so well before.
30
Jersey City, Newark, Los Angeles - why are school systems run by Democrats characterized by such callous indifference and incompetence??
2
Because the money from cones from State government run by the GOP. Florida's looser GOP gerrymandered state legislature passed a law that 50% of capital public school improvement money whether the state or local bond issue must go to private - profit or non-profit -charter schools. Charter schools enroll less then 10% of public schools. Many private operators have close ties to the GOP and even when they go bankrupt the managers can open new schools. So tax payers - 90% enrolled in the public system 0 must pay capital improvements at private ones. The governor used the 5th amendment 75 times when he ran HCA - so why believe anything he says - and caught in endless lies. He won office two times by 1% of turnout The GOP has made voting in person more and more difficult - but skips over massive fraud in GOP areas with absentee ballots. Nationally, the GOP wants to suck taxpayers dry - give all tax breaks and subsidies to corporate buddies and make sure public services stink. But there small government world makes sure big business is taken care of.
5
Joe - the state of California is run by Republicans? Form top to bottom it is liberal Democrats, the governor, the Assembly, etc. LA is run by Democrats.
Stop this partisan nonsense that one party is evil and the other driven snow (apparently helpless snow if even so much as one GOP-er raises anything). The facts belie assertions like yours.
Stop this partisan nonsense that one party is evil and the other driven snow (apparently helpless snow if even so much as one GOP-er raises anything). The facts belie assertions like yours.
Because the money from cones from State government run by the GOP
======================
You seriously believe the state governments in New Jersey and California are run by the Republicans??
You need to do a little checking up
======================
You seriously believe the state governments in New Jersey and California are run by the Republicans??
You need to do a little checking up
1
Your tax cuts at work.
26
This is also what happens when we spend trillions in foreign intervenionist wars instead of spending money on our own infrastructure. Hillary = Iraq and Libya. Time to rebuild America with Bernie.
5
Last I saw, the states where this is reported (New Jersey and California) have been busy raising taxes.
Jersey City, like Newark, spends far more money per student than the average US school district. But no amount of money is ever enough to make basic repairs, since not as many local jobs will be created hiring contractors as from overstaffing support staff roles. These areas have been run by Democratic city councils for the last 100 years, but the answer by commenters here will be more federal infrastructure spending, and finding that last Republican governor or mayor to have some connection, however slight, to the situation, in order to blame them. There is no retrospection for the Blue Tribe.
10
What does spending on education have to do with clean water? You must hate government so much that you don't know how it works. School administrations do not control the quality of drinking water, they're at the same peril as the rest of us. You're so keen to set blame. Feel guilty?
4
Citing spending data often overlooks an important piece - WHERE do they spend the money? More administrators, more benefits, etc. rather than in the classroom!
What does spending on education have to do with clean water? You must hate government so much that you don't know how it works. School administrations do not control the quality of drinking water, they're at the same peril as the rest of us. You're so keen to set blame. Feel guilty?
=========================
Spending on education includes the money that is spent on building new schools and maintaining old ones. It appears that the school districts discussed here chose NOT to spend money maintaining old schools so as to upgrade their plumbing to modern standards.
=========================
Spending on education includes the money that is spent on building new schools and maintaining old ones. It appears that the school districts discussed here chose NOT to spend money maintaining old schools so as to upgrade their plumbing to modern standards.
Might I point out that Bernie Sanders is the only presidential candidate speaking out on this? He's discussed the water crisis going beyond Flint for some time now, and has discussed the global water crisis for several years.
17
This is absolutely false. Clinton was the first candidate to mention Flint, and she has continued speaking about it even after losing the primary. Sanders, as far as I know, won and stopped mentioning Flint at all.
3
No, she wasn't. Bernie came out vigorously calling for Snyder's resignation; Hillary got on board shortly thereafter. Clinton has spoken about Flint, as has everyone, but Sanders has been sounding the horn about water systems on a NATIONAL level for decades.
He not only drew attention to the exorbitant costs of water in Flint, he fought to get Barbara Boxer's Water Resources bill passed, to provide for conservation and development of public water sources and to improve and protect major rivers and harbors in the US. It passed in the Senate, not the House. He introduced Rebuild America to improve storm and wastewater treatment, and create cleaner water drinking systems. He has called for a major upgrade and update to the Clean Water Act of '72, to unify national pollution regulation and deal with the major national issue of runoff pollution.
Bernie has been advocating for environmental protection for a very, very long time. And as he soundly asserted during the debate, he is 100% anti fracking, which we know pollutes water systems. Hillary...not so much.
He not only drew attention to the exorbitant costs of water in Flint, he fought to get Barbara Boxer's Water Resources bill passed, to provide for conservation and development of public water sources and to improve and protect major rivers and harbors in the US. It passed in the Senate, not the House. He introduced Rebuild America to improve storm and wastewater treatment, and create cleaner water drinking systems. He has called for a major upgrade and update to the Clean Water Act of '72, to unify national pollution regulation and deal with the major national issue of runoff pollution.
Bernie has been advocating for environmental protection for a very, very long time. And as he soundly asserted during the debate, he is 100% anti fracking, which we know pollutes water systems. Hillary...not so much.
1
A country that spends $1.35 Trillion on a fighter jet to defend against an imaginary superpower cannot be bothered to keep its children safe from lead poisoning.
There is a moral crisis in this country, and it's name is GREED.
There is a moral crisis in this country, and it's name is GREED.
90
Greatest country in the world, I'm told, but can't seem to handle basic infrastructure maintenance/issues since the 1950s - this is the 'life' that we are protecting from terrorists and evil empires? I assume most of western Europe does not have this problem.
37
From tobacco industry obfuscation to love canal to climate change to this, we do more harm to ourselves than terrorists do, yet those least willing to spend money, regulate or enforce regulations for things such as keeping lead out of water, are those most focused on terrorists regarding legislation, denial of rights (of 'others'), and spending on initiatives that won't begin to solve the terrorist problem.
8
We have lived with lead a part of our lives for thousands of years. We should minimize exposure to lead. We've taken it out of gasoline and paint. New plumbing fixtures can only contain minute amounts. Being exposed to any amount of lead is to be avoided; but tiny amounts will not turn you into a moron.
My old scoutmaster used to make paint by pulverizing lead in a barrel of turpentine. "It made really great paint." We don't do that anymore; but he survived.
There are thousands of things that effect a child's development. Talking to and reading to children will have a much greater impact on their potential than replacing a water faucet that is a tick over the federal standards.
Would really love to see some scientific evidence of exactly how much harm these very low levels of exposure create. Does lead cause harm? Yes. Is it the best place for us to be spending our money to protect children? Impossible to say.
How about some investigation of the actual harm caused by this pollutant vs others?
"When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout."
My old scoutmaster used to make paint by pulverizing lead in a barrel of turpentine. "It made really great paint." We don't do that anymore; but he survived.
There are thousands of things that effect a child's development. Talking to and reading to children will have a much greater impact on their potential than replacing a water faucet that is a tick over the federal standards.
Would really love to see some scientific evidence of exactly how much harm these very low levels of exposure create. Does lead cause harm? Yes. Is it the best place for us to be spending our money to protect children? Impossible to say.
How about some investigation of the actual harm caused by this pollutant vs others?
"When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout."
This sentence struck me: "But cash-starved school administrators may see a choice between spending money on teachers or on plumbing as no choice at all."
It seems absurd that this would be an issue to be dealt with at the individual school level. Administrators should not have to be remedying these issues on their own. The district or city should be responsible, and the money shouldn't be taken out of an individual school's budget.
Also, the bottled water in lieu of drinking fountains is fine. But what water is being used in the school cafeterias? Are the cooks using only bottled water for that?
It seems absurd that this would be an issue to be dealt with at the individual school level. Administrators should not have to be remedying these issues on their own. The district or city should be responsible, and the money shouldn't be taken out of an individual school's budget.
Also, the bottled water in lieu of drinking fountains is fine. But what water is being used in the school cafeterias? Are the cooks using only bottled water for that?
7
Bottled water in plastic bottles solves the lead problem, but creates a need for recycling of plastics. What is this bottled water coming in?
1
Hi--it's John. I helped write the story. In our separate conversation about lead and water (you can find it here http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/digging-further-into-a-water-proble... we discuss the problems associated with bottled water and link to a background paper on the problem from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
5
So, if EPA says drinking water accounts of just 20% of lead exposure, where is the other 80% coming from??
HELLO!
How can a NYT reporter leave that stone uncovered?
HELLO!
How can a NYT reporter leave that stone uncovered?
2
Perhaps bottled water, on the environmentalist scale that industry hasn't suffered enough accusations.
Hi--it's John, one of the writers on the story. Most of the rest of the exposure comes from old lead paint and the residue of so much leaded gasoline over the years in dirt and other surfaces, and from industrial sources near homes. Even though we haven't had lead in our gasoline in years, the residue persists.
Here's a good info sheet from the EPA on the sources of lead.
https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead
Here's a good info sheet from the EPA on the sources of lead.
https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead
4
Hi John- also look at the particulate from the cement industry - and even infrastructural repair work on old bridges. Railroad right of ways too are laden with lead from transport, fuel residue and solder. The EPA sheet is only part of the problem as illustrated in Flint - what else we put into the environment can free up bonded lead and cause it to reenter the atmosphere and environment by breaking up stable bonds with salts and other minerals. See also Cornell's successful experiments using oyster shells and other lead absorbing or removing plants such as spinach (what to do with the contaminated harvest afterwards still presents a headache, however).
1
The only acceptable level of led is 0% lead. It is a well-known fact that led is extremely hazardous to health. Some historians attribute the fall of the Roman Empire to led utensils they used at the time.
It is mind-boggling to think that our officials ignored to the problem for decades because it doesn't fit their budget. Here are some things that can be shuffled to find funds to fix the problem.
– Trim the waist from useless military equipment.
– Cut the fat from building stadiums like gymnasiums in elementary and secondary schools .
– Stop sending aid to countries to support tyrannical governments.
– Eliminate pork belly fat concealed in Bills and other countless waist too long to enumerate.
– Bypass existing led pipes by installing new exposed ones in strategic areas of the buildings without having to dig or tear any walls.
I wonder if there is a connection between the epidemic of autism and drinking contaminated water.
It is time to take care of our backyard before we lose everything that is meaningful in our lives. We are destroying our future for very stupid reasons and misplaced priorities .
It makes sense to vote for Bernie Sanders who is the only candidate who actually cares for everybody.
It is mind-boggling to think that our officials ignored to the problem for decades because it doesn't fit their budget. Here are some things that can be shuffled to find funds to fix the problem.
– Trim the waist from useless military equipment.
– Cut the fat from building stadiums like gymnasiums in elementary and secondary schools .
– Stop sending aid to countries to support tyrannical governments.
– Eliminate pork belly fat concealed in Bills and other countless waist too long to enumerate.
– Bypass existing led pipes by installing new exposed ones in strategic areas of the buildings without having to dig or tear any walls.
I wonder if there is a connection between the epidemic of autism and drinking contaminated water.
It is time to take care of our backyard before we lose everything that is meaningful in our lives. We are destroying our future for very stupid reasons and misplaced priorities .
It makes sense to vote for Bernie Sanders who is the only candidate who actually cares for everybody.
6
There are DIY water quality test kits on Amazon for $15. Parents can go to the bathroom on parent-teacher night and test the water themselves.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_72_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck...
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_72_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck...
4
Wait a moment. I thought all the lead in the school water and towns was solely, expressly and only caused by racist right-wing republican politicians.
Then I checked and there are no such politicians in LA nor in Jersey City, Newark, etc, etc, etc.
In fact, in all those places there are liberal democrats in charge.
Now, folks, we must band together and figure out how to blame the lead in LA and Jersey City on Bush, global warming or a video.
Then I checked and there are no such politicians in LA nor in Jersey City, Newark, etc, etc, etc.
In fact, in all those places there are liberal democrats in charge.
Now, folks, we must band together and figure out how to blame the lead in LA and Jersey City on Bush, global warming or a video.
3
Don't forget the Koch brothers!
1
This water problem should be fixed right now. No need for studies, if there is lead or other contaminants fix it.
7
In early 2009 when our Nation was just about to turn out the lights, President Obama asked for and got an almost $1 Trillion stimulus package and a big portion of it was for shovel ready construction projects to get people back to work and purchasing supplies. Why did schools all over the country not jump on the stimulus opportunity with both feet?
Also, Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed an Infrastructure Bank that would provide jobs, be a stimulus to our economy and help start us on replacing the outdated infrastructure all over this country that desperately needs replacing.
S. 268: Rebuild America Act of 2015 was assigned to Committee.
From the news release:
"Sanders’ bill makes targeted investments in roads, bridges, transit, passenger and freight rail, water infrastructure, marine ports and inland waterways, national parks, broadband and the electric grid."
You can read and track the bill here:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s268
Also, Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed an Infrastructure Bank that would provide jobs, be a stimulus to our economy and help start us on replacing the outdated infrastructure all over this country that desperately needs replacing.
S. 268: Rebuild America Act of 2015 was assigned to Committee.
From the news release:
"Sanders’ bill makes targeted investments in roads, bridges, transit, passenger and freight rail, water infrastructure, marine ports and inland waterways, national parks, broadband and the electric grid."
You can read and track the bill here:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s268
3
One has to wonder if lead contamination in the water is responsible for most of the elevation in autism and other developmental problems with youth today. Does anyone know?
20
I don't know if lead poisoning can be directly tied to developmental disabilities other than autism. I do know that influential scientists have concluded our rise in autism diagnoses is due to better diagnostic criteria and a wider understanding of the autism spectrum; not because we have an autism epidemic.
This is not rocket science. If tests reveal lead in the water from any water fountain or faucet in a school, change the piping. It's that simple. Of course, with the EPA involved it will become a multi billion dollar, multi year study, and an even more expensive fix.
Without the EPA involved, it will never happen.
6
Yet another way to portray public schools in a bad light. Just watch. Cash-strapped public schools, which faced budget crisis after budget crisis since the recession, that were forced to spend millions on computer upgrades for new standardized testing, and have not one penny to spare to replace turn-of-the-last-century plumbing, will now be blamed for a crisis they had no hand in creating and have not the power to fix. Another gift for the educational "reformers."
5
Never believe there isn’t money to keep our drinking water safe. The USA spends over $1 trillion each year on yesterday, today and tomorrow’s wars. Wars to keep the killing machine manufacturers wealthy. Wars to maintain control of oil and other earth resources by the giant corporations. A small, small fraction of that spending would provide clean water not only to everyone in the USA but everyone in the world. Instead of world’s chief bomber, let’s become the great water builder.
56
I grew up in the sixties. I inhaled lead from exhaust, drank through lead pipes without coatings and ate lots of lead paint chips 'till scientists figured out it was bad for me. I program computers these days, so cleaning up, even as a teenager, helped.
It's amazing how, as adults, we can look away from problems that affect the lives of our children and just keep denying the issues. I look at the fact that most school buses in the U.S. don't have proper seat belts (if any) and just shake my head. How can government get away with this? How can the manufacturers of school buses not install proper safety belts in ALL school buses? Why do we continually allow this? Why are we so hypocritical?
Looks like NYC was able to do the impossible and replace ALL their school's aging plumbing. Why can't other districts do the same? We need to be demanding satisfaction, because adding more water bottles to the world is not the long term answer.
Another reason we as a country really need to upgrade the nation's infrastructure.
Looks like NYC was able to do the impossible and replace ALL their school's aging plumbing. Why can't other districts do the same? We need to be demanding satisfaction, because adding more water bottles to the world is not the long term answer.
Another reason we as a country really need to upgrade the nation's infrastructure.
22
Looks like NYC was able to do the impossible and replace ALL their school's aging plumbing. Why can't other districts do the same?
==================
I attribute it to the fact that New York had Republican or Independent mayors between 1994 and 2014.
==================
I attribute it to the fact that New York had Republican or Independent mayors between 1994 and 2014.
haha...Drive a school bus sometime, unaided, and I'll challenge you to keep the kids buckled in. Sorry, nice sentiment but just not practical in the real world. Would cause more problems than it's worth.
1
Maintaining infrastructure is a smart investment.
6
100 years ago we did not know of the threat from lead pipes and brass fittings. Now we do. Now WE must take steps to remove the threat to our children and school workers. The article says, "Sebring, Ohio, found elevated lead levels in August after workers had stopped adding an anti-corrosion chemical to the water supply." Why did they stop? Does this really work? This may offer an opportunity to create community grassroots action. Perhaps those school district parents who do not or cannot pay for the expensive repairs could form a Habitat for Humanity kind of organization and volunteer labor and products to fix the problems. One thing is sure - this MUST be fixed before it damages a whole generation of young people. WE don't need anymore stupid in America.
6
I don't know why they stopped adding an anti-corrosion chemical, but anti-corrosion chemicals are widely used because they keep the lead from peeling off into the water. It's like when you have lead paint on the walls, if it's covered by other paint then it doesn't harm the occupants. It's when it starts chipping & peeling off that it is harmful.
That's what happened in Flint: the water from the Flint River had corrosive chemicals in it, and those chemicals acted like drain cleaner inside the water pipes, causing the lead that existed in the pipes/joints to come off into the water.
That's what happened in Flint: the water from the Flint River had corrosive chemicals in it, and those chemicals acted like drain cleaner inside the water pipes, causing the lead that existed in the pipes/joints to come off into the water.
1
It must not be forgotten that Flint's water crisis was the result of heavy handed government control policies to save money, with no consideration of the effects that policy had on the citizens they cared not to represent.
If there is lead in the water pipes in this country, our federal government needs to fund a public works project on the scale of the national highway system set up by President Eisenhower. We are poisoning our children.
Here is the problem though: For the Republican governed states, there is no visual percentage in doing so. The current Republican party policy on infrastructure, if it includes a benefit for the poor or middle class, is seen as some some sort of big government social program. Then done in a half-baked way which proves big government is the problem. That's what happened in Flint.
Flint is not a wake-up call for infrastructure improvement, it is a wake call for bad governing.
As long as the current Republican leadership exists in so many states and in Congress, nothing is going to happen to address lead in the water.
If there is lead in the water pipes in this country, our federal government needs to fund a public works project on the scale of the national highway system set up by President Eisenhower. We are poisoning our children.
Here is the problem though: For the Republican governed states, there is no visual percentage in doing so. The current Republican party policy on infrastructure, if it includes a benefit for the poor or middle class, is seen as some some sort of big government social program. Then done in a half-baked way which proves big government is the problem. That's what happened in Flint.
Flint is not a wake-up call for infrastructure improvement, it is a wake call for bad governing.
As long as the current Republican leadership exists in so many states and in Congress, nothing is going to happen to address lead in the water.
23
I would augment the wisdom of the points made by Gunther in Ann Arbor, by pointing out that the local Republican and Democratic governments frequently delineate the responsibility of local government to stop at the connection point from the street to the 'private property.' This is frequently where the old lead lines are literally buried, and for precisely that reason.
Republicans a masters of preaching the 'rights of private property owners' even if that translates into systemic scenarios for mass poisoning.
Republicans a masters of preaching the 'rights of private property owners' even if that translates into systemic scenarios for mass poisoning.
1
It must be said again and again: Republicans are devoted to cutting taxes on the rich. That starves government at all levels of the money it needs to do its job. Bureaucrats, like school superintendents, prioritize with the money they have and try to ignore problems they can't afford to address; they believe, with reason, that if they acknowledge those problems they'll be blamed. It's always the poor who suffer.
7
The problem is: a “scorched earth” policy won’t work, not in the real world of finite resources. Lead has been used in plumbing for centuries, because it did the job; replacing all the pipes and fixtures that contain lead all at once is simply not practical.
Lead is toxic, but what matters is total lead exposure. We are better off addressing fixtures and water sources, particularly those used for drinking, that have high lead levels, rather than trying to reduce all lead levels to zero. If we try the latter, we will quickly run out of resources before the job is done.
Lead is only one of many toxins we should be concerned with. There are countless other noxious substances in our everyday environment. For example, mercury is unhealthy. Yet, the majority of Americans carry substantial quantities of elemental mercury in their mouths in the form of dental amalgams. We accept this because amalgam works, and there was, and sometimes even today still is, no good alternative for cavities. We cannot pull everyone’s teeth.
People get killed in car accidents. We all drive cars. We strive to reduce the risk of the automobile, but we cannot reduce it to zero. Still we drive.
We must behave rationally, and not react hysterically to headlines. Importantly, the media should not write hysterical poorly researched headlines. With an intelligent, scientific and nuanced approach, we can substantially reduce risk, but we will always live in an imperfect world.
Lead is toxic, but what matters is total lead exposure. We are better off addressing fixtures and water sources, particularly those used for drinking, that have high lead levels, rather than trying to reduce all lead levels to zero. If we try the latter, we will quickly run out of resources before the job is done.
Lead is only one of many toxins we should be concerned with. There are countless other noxious substances in our everyday environment. For example, mercury is unhealthy. Yet, the majority of Americans carry substantial quantities of elemental mercury in their mouths in the form of dental amalgams. We accept this because amalgam works, and there was, and sometimes even today still is, no good alternative for cavities. We cannot pull everyone’s teeth.
People get killed in car accidents. We all drive cars. We strive to reduce the risk of the automobile, but we cannot reduce it to zero. Still we drive.
We must behave rationally, and not react hysterically to headlines. Importantly, the media should not write hysterical poorly researched headlines. With an intelligent, scientific and nuanced approach, we can substantially reduce risk, but we will always live in an imperfect world.
2
Part of a nationwide threat to erode confidence in public institutions. The drive to privatization from the magical "private sector", because they can do no wrong.
Bottle water companies will make a nice profit, while our children get lead poison and nothing will be done about it, but patch up to the one that complaints the loudest.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to infrastructure problems, we have decided that taxes are bad to spend on our roads, rails, water and sewer systems, so this is what we reap.
Bottle water companies will make a nice profit, while our children get lead poison and nothing will be done about it, but patch up to the one that complaints the loudest.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to infrastructure problems, we have decided that taxes are bad to spend on our roads, rails, water and sewer systems, so this is what we reap.
7
No wonder our test scores are so low.
4
lead in our water, mercury amalgam in our teeth, pesticide in our food...should we surprised? our government needs to find a diplomatic way to take responsibility for their past regulations and approvals.
6
time for america to step up and CHANGE THE PIPES.
it's plumbing - not rocket science.
and guess what? there are a lot of people in the places where the pipes need replacing who need JOBS.
so just do it.
it's plumbing - not rocket science.
and guess what? there are a lot of people in the places where the pipes need replacing who need JOBS.
so just do it.
5
You can find similar stories of criminal incompetence and negligence in anything the government, at all levels, runs.
With this water lead contamination scandal, did any employee/mayor lose their job or go to jail for persistently failing to exhibit the least amount of decency and do their job? No of course. And the presumed reason, as the article suggests, is lack of money. All that is needed is to tax people more and give the money to the government for things to start working perfectly.
The government, on all levels, has been failing the good people of this country for decades with total impunity.
With this water lead contamination scandal, did any employee/mayor lose their job or go to jail for persistently failing to exhibit the least amount of decency and do their job? No of course. And the presumed reason, as the article suggests, is lack of money. All that is needed is to tax people more and give the money to the government for things to start working perfectly.
The government, on all levels, has been failing the good people of this country for decades with total impunity.
4
I think we understand that everyone ignored this issue for so long and now they're testing like crazy. And that we now recognize the big problem. But after confronting the issue the Dems want to fix it and the Repubs want to do nothing. This is even a greater problem than detecting lead in the water. Repubs have been trying to kill off EPA for years and insist on state's control. Repubs own this problem.
Do not vote for Repubs. It is a matter of life or death.
Do not vote for Repubs. It is a matter of life or death.
11
This is a national disgrace. The way our infrastructure is treated by the powers that be is a disgrace. The influence of lobbyists who insist on some percentage of toxic contaminants in drinking water is perverse. A nation that lets its children get poisoned and increases the risk of miscarriages for teachers due to the bad water in their schools is not a first world nation.
70
I agree with all the points swm makes, however, it is a disgrace that has come about because the public itself is quick to embrace 'denial.'
When we renovated the building where we make our home we paid thousands of dollars to replace plumbing going back to the mid 19th century. We removed lead connection piping to the house which our public's works engineer went out of his way to tell us was, 'an unnecessary expense.' He was just trying to save us money. There is your national disgrace. It begins right their with a moronic and under-educated professional population who brings, ''good common sense to running local government.'' Often and frequently I've encountered well-meaning dunces like that engineer who insist on bragging of the ''thousands'' they can save local government by discouraging projects that 'waste money,' just like the scenario I described, only, transpose that syllogism to one where the connection is too the local school, and they save ''tens of thousands.'' It is the Republican, small town, zero sum game, mentality, that government should be run 'efficiently, just like my own hardware or candy store' so that it 'isn't wasteful,' that leads to this type of tragic evil.
When we renovated the building where we make our home we paid thousands of dollars to replace plumbing going back to the mid 19th century. We removed lead connection piping to the house which our public's works engineer went out of his way to tell us was, 'an unnecessary expense.' He was just trying to save us money. There is your national disgrace. It begins right their with a moronic and under-educated professional population who brings, ''good common sense to running local government.'' Often and frequently I've encountered well-meaning dunces like that engineer who insist on bragging of the ''thousands'' they can save local government by discouraging projects that 'waste money,' just like the scenario I described, only, transpose that syllogism to one where the connection is too the local school, and they save ''tens of thousands.'' It is the Republican, small town, zero sum game, mentality, that government should be run 'efficiently, just like my own hardware or candy store' so that it 'isn't wasteful,' that leads to this type of tragic evil.
2
I wondered what are the effects of lead on mental health. I already knew a little about it since information has been available for many decades from alternative health information sources, so I looked online to see what is most recent. It turns out that depressive disorder, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder are believed to be associated with lead exposure in many, but not necessarily all, people who've been diagnosed with those disorders. The typical treatments for those disorders are psychotropic drugs, usually for a lifetime, and sometimes electroshock therapy, which couldn't possibly remove lead from a person's system. Sometimes, a mental disorder is severe enough to justify commitment to a mental institution, as was far more typical in the past when lead exposure was much more prevalent. The possibility that lead exposure could have anything to do with a person's mental state is completely absent from traditional mental health treatment. It's reasonable to suspect that a large number of children exposed to lead in water will qualify for disability, sooner or later, magnifying the costs to society of lead in water supplies and failure to upgrade water supply infrastructure.
6
This is really astounding news. Lead from plumbing has been known to be a health hazard in my lifetime; it's deeply distressing that there is so much lead in these water systems today.
An important aspect that I learned from this fine reporting by all is that brass fittings also can raise lead concentration to an unacceptable level as well as lead plumbing and solder. So newer schools can still see problems.
A question I have arises from looking at Ty Wright's photo of the Sebring, OH school. It looks to be a new school, built at a time in which lead was banned in plumbing; I wonder where the lead comes from? Now, if the photo is of a refurbished, old school, the school has undergone a lot of expensive refurbishment and plumbing remediation should have been included in the work.
Lead was used in a lot of places. I had a lead trap (which of course was not drinking water) that was put in, possibly after the turn of the 20th century. Plumbers removed it. Lead was easy to work and cheap. Today, with PEX tubing that can be snaked a little more easily than copper, these schools should all be upgraded. And the work would provide good jobs for people.
We put trillions of dollars into the Iraq war. That's the decision that the last presidential administration and the people who voted for it made. We do have the resources to remedy the lead problem.
An important aspect that I learned from this fine reporting by all is that brass fittings also can raise lead concentration to an unacceptable level as well as lead plumbing and solder. So newer schools can still see problems.
A question I have arises from looking at Ty Wright's photo of the Sebring, OH school. It looks to be a new school, built at a time in which lead was banned in plumbing; I wonder where the lead comes from? Now, if the photo is of a refurbished, old school, the school has undergone a lot of expensive refurbishment and plumbing remediation should have been included in the work.
Lead was used in a lot of places. I had a lead trap (which of course was not drinking water) that was put in, possibly after the turn of the 20th century. Plumbers removed it. Lead was easy to work and cheap. Today, with PEX tubing that can be snaked a little more easily than copper, these schools should all be upgraded. And the work would provide good jobs for people.
We put trillions of dollars into the Iraq war. That's the decision that the last presidential administration and the people who voted for it made. We do have the resources to remedy the lead problem.
24
More reasons and ways to repair our infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers give us a D+ grade on their report card and estimates the costs at $3.6 trillion. It is sad, outright criminal to think we could have fixed America instead of going to war.
5
Good information on lead exposure is not hard to find:
"… the EPA’s Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children (IEUBK model) is widely used and accepted as a tool that informs the evaluation of site-specific data. More recently, in recognition of the need for
a single model that predicts Pb concentrations in tissues for children and adults, the EPA has been developing the All Ages Lead Model (AALM) to provide researchers and risk assessors with a pharmacokinetic model capable of estimating blood, tissue, and bone concentrations of Pb based on estimates of exposure over the lifetime of the individual (USEPA, 2006a, sections 4.4.5 and 4.4.8; USEPA, 2013a, section 3.6).
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-01-05/pdf/2014-30681.pdf
"… the EPA’s Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children (IEUBK model) is widely used and accepted as a tool that informs the evaluation of site-specific data. More recently, in recognition of the need for
a single model that predicts Pb concentrations in tissues for children and adults, the EPA has been developing the All Ages Lead Model (AALM) to provide researchers and risk assessors with a pharmacokinetic model capable of estimating blood, tissue, and bone concentrations of Pb based on estimates of exposure over the lifetime of the individual (USEPA, 2006a, sections 4.4.5 and 4.4.8; USEPA, 2013a, section 3.6).
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-01-05/pdf/2014-30681.pdf
1
even new piping installed after 1986 cam contain up to 8% lead and be considered "lead-free".
Another "success" for our wonderful Federal system. A national problem tackled at the local level with occasional hit (NYC!) but mostly miss results.
2
Remember that the 'wonderful federal system' is largely prevented form aggressively taking action. For example, in Flint, the EPA was constantly short changed on funds to do analysis.
The fault lies with conservatives who really don't care about anything other than cutting the size of government--whether or not children are permanently damaged.
The fault lies with conservatives who really don't care about anything other than cutting the size of government--whether or not children are permanently damaged.
6
Carol - you can thank th Clinton/Gore "Reinventing Government" initiative for that.
Developed in response to Newt Gingrich's 104th Congress' "Contract on America", i crippled EPA regulatory oversight of States in favor of voluntary "partnerships" via contracts - google "NEPPS".
Developed in response to Newt Gingrich's 104th Congress' "Contract on America", i crippled EPA regulatory oversight of States in favor of voluntary "partnerships" via contracts - google "NEPPS".
1
@Retired in Asheville, N.C.:
I guess I did not make myself clear; I agree with you entirely. It is the founding fathers' naivety in setting up a system where most government functions are reserved to the states that I find fault with. I believe we need more centralized government. Less state and local responsibility for government services and for taxing. School construction and maintenance should be a national budget item, just like military base construction and maintenance.
At my house in Westchester there are at least seven levels of government:
1., 1.5. Village and water district (the only contiguous bodies)
2. School district (slightly larger)
3. Town (much larger and providing few services since we are in a village)
4. Sewer district (larger, and I'm not sure exactly how much)
5. County
6. State
7. Federal
Our local schools are funded by taxes levied at levels 2 and 6, augmented somewhat by 7 and slightly by 5 for some ancillary services. We have good government services; we also have some of the highest property taxes in the country.
I guess I did not make myself clear; I agree with you entirely. It is the founding fathers' naivety in setting up a system where most government functions are reserved to the states that I find fault with. I believe we need more centralized government. Less state and local responsibility for government services and for taxing. School construction and maintenance should be a national budget item, just like military base construction and maintenance.
At my house in Westchester there are at least seven levels of government:
1., 1.5. Village and water district (the only contiguous bodies)
2. School district (slightly larger)
3. Town (much larger and providing few services since we are in a village)
4. Sewer district (larger, and I'm not sure exactly how much)
5. County
6. State
7. Federal
Our local schools are funded by taxes levied at levels 2 and 6, augmented somewhat by 7 and slightly by 5 for some ancillary services. We have good government services; we also have some of the highest property taxes in the country.
1
This is a major infrastructure and resource waste problem which should be a national priority -- not dependent on the local school district's ability to squeeze more taxes out of residents. Wage a war on public health problems and threats to safety. The safety of the water supply supports - or ca destroy - health, with effects on education ( children's ability to learn, the need for special ed, problems later in obtaining work . . . ), and ultimately, the country's future. The federal government cannot keep operating as if each individual school district and each municipality has the means to handle this alone, and that it is just poor decisions - and not economic collapse in many areas - which has lead to problems.
27
But people get the government they are willing to pay for. Most people always complain that taxes need to be lower. Thus things like infrastructure get neglected until they become a major problem. Unfortunately there is no free lunch. If America is to be the world's policeman, have a clean environment, take care of its poor and disadvantaged and provided unlimited health care without any rationing, then lead in our water is only a problem once it is discovered and the people demand that something be done.
3
But people get the government they are willing to pay for. Most people always complain that taxes need to be lower.
======================
Wow!
These issues are being reported in California and New Jersey (where you live). These states rank #2 (NJ) and #4 (CA) of all states in the percentage of state and local tax burden.
http://taxfoundation.org/blog/release-annual-state-local-tax-burdens-ran...
You don't think your taxes are high enough?
======================
Wow!
These issues are being reported in California and New Jersey (where you live). These states rank #2 (NJ) and #4 (CA) of all states in the percentage of state and local tax burden.
http://taxfoundation.org/blog/release-annual-state-local-tax-burdens-ran...
You don't think your taxes are high enough?
Oh, but my God, that would take away "local control" of schools!
We all need to reminding our government officials that their job is to protect ALL citizens, residents and tourists, not just the 1 percent. The State Department issues warnings on safety in other countries and people have to get immunization against certain diseases in other countries (e.g., cholera).
I am not a Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter, but she was prescient when she said there's a vast right wing conspiracy. This issue is just part of it.
I am not a Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter, but she was prescient when she said there's a vast right wing conspiracy. This issue is just part of it.
40
Right wing conspiracy? Newark, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Jersey City are run by Democrats. New York started testing for levels in 2002 and replaced the lines between 2008 and 2010. This was all done during the Bloomberg's term. You remember Bloomberg? He is a Republican/Independent billionaire.
Metro - see above reply - the Clinton Administration crippled EPA regulatory oversight of states.
They capitulated to the Gingrich "federalism" revolution.
Google "NEPPS" or drop me a line and I'll explain.
They capitulated to the Gingrich "federalism" revolution.
Google "NEPPS" or drop me a line and I'll explain.
I think blaming cities, alone, is a bit short-sighted, however handy for your political purposes. Most mayors do not have the power or the budget of a NYC mayor. For that matter, Bloomberg was a very unusual contemporary Republican; he actually thought government should do things for the people.
2
Just one item on the long check list of infrastructure issues gone ignored by a tax structure that makes one percent of the society unbelievably rich. This is also just one of the issues for which we make our children subsidize yachts, multi-million dollar dwellings and other such toys for a handful of the greedy.
102
Th Clinton administration's "Environmental Justice" policy let all this happen via voluntary and symbolic hollow gestures instead of real regulation and federal funding.
One more reason we need another Clinton in the White House like we need another Bush. (How ironic, too, that the school in question is named after one of history's greatest scientists, yet limps along on a water supply from the middle ages.)
2
My school's custodian warned me the first day I arrived at my classroom to run the water in the fountain for two minute before drinking from it. Seems this has been a persistent problem nationally for decades. And a waste of water.
55
Flushing the pipes of standing water will hardly remove system-wide lead pollution. But, it's emblematic that so many are reduced to listening to the scientific wisdom issuing forth from their school janitor.
1
Wow, to listen the Democrats you'd think this only happens in schools attended by minorities. Does this make Democrats racists?
Brave New World, but worse. They gave certain people poisons to keep them dumb. We feed the kids lead then blame them for not getting ahead.
65
Sure wish Arnie Duncan had more focused on the poisoning of children than test scores.
41
What I find vexing is the fact that these problems, as serious as they are, were pushed further and further down the federal government's priority list. Did they not realize the effect it could potentially have on this nation's future? The ones that have the highest risk of being affected by lead range in age from newborns to preteens. I have noticed that the American mindset is very short-sighted. We think, "I have to fix this problem as soon as possible." We don't consider the long-term consequences.
As unfortunate as the events that are occurring in Newark and Flint are, it has allowed Americans to open their eyes to the issue of lead contamination. If these issues had gone unnoticed for any longer, I am sure there would be even worse events occurring than in those cities. With this much coverage, Congress has no choice but to act. If not, American citizens, particularly enraged parents, will pressure the legislature to do so. Oh, yes. I still have faith in America.