The New York Coalition to End Lead Poisoning revealed in a report that as many as 900,000 New York City homes may be receiving water through lead pipes, more than 60 years after such pipes were banned in the United States. five districts.
According to the report, which analyzed public data from the Department of Environmental Protection city, nearly half of all buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan are connected to lead pipes, posing a health risk, especially for children, as lead can cause permanent brain damage and other developmental problems if it is consumed.
The highest proportion was found in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Staten Island.
Lead pipes need to be replaced for public health, said Joan Matthews, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who contributed to the report.
For this reason, Matthews and the other authors of the report call on the City Council to pass a bill that would require city agencies to replace lead pipes within the next decade.
New York consumes treated water
New York City treats its water to prevent pipe corrosion and lead contamination.
However, lead levels can still rise depending on the temperature of the water and the time since the faucet was last turned on.
Nearly a decade ago, Flint, Michigan experienced a lead crisis after changing its water source.
Although the installation of lead pipes was banned in New York in 1961, many earlier pipes are still in use.
The report analyzed lead pipe records released by the Department of Environmental Protection and ranked the number of pipes by neighborhood, estimating how many New Yorkers are exposed to this hazardous material.
40% of the pipes are lead
The report reveals that approximately 40% of all service lines in the city contain lead, affecting approximately 1.8 million people, more than 20% of the city’s population.
The New York Coalition to End Lead Poisoning urges the City Council to pass legislation allowing the replacement of these toxic pipes within the next 10 years.
They also call on city officials to take advantage of federal funds earmarked for this project, including the $15 billion available as part of the bipartisan White House infrastructure project.
Public health experts note that Black, Latino, and Asian communities are more likely to be exposed to lead, and children in these communities account for more than 80% of those whose blood lead levels exceed the threshold set by the Department of health.
Also, people living in poverty are more likely to experience lead poisoning.
Lead pipe replacement is an urgent need to protect the health of New Yorkers.
2023-07-19 22:31:00
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