"Research showing Black and Latino residents are twice as likely to have lead service lines has added urgency to demands that the city commit to removing them within 10 years."
"CHICAGO—The city’s current goal to remove lead drinking water pipes within half a century is too long of a timeline, environmental activists argued at a rally here on Wednesday. They called on the EPA to update its federal regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water and enforce a 10-year deadline to replace all lead service lines.
Lead in drinking water is a significant health concern in Chicago, where about 400,000 known lead service lines remain. Lead service lines are pipes that deliver water from a water main in the street to homes. Many lines that were put in place decades ago were made of lead, putting residents at risk of high blood lead levels.
Health research shows there are no safe levels of exposure to lead, with even minuscule amounts linked to behavioral difficulties, learning challenges and decreased intelligence in children.
An analysis by the Metropolitan Planning Council, a nonprofit planning organization based in Chicago, found that Black and Latino residents in Illinois are twice as likely to live in communities where lead service lines are most present."
Aydali Campa reports for Inside Climate News October 6, 2023.
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