Two-Thirds of Chicago Children Under Aged 6 Exposed to Hazardous Lead Level in Water, Study Says

Latest research shows that over two-thirds of children under six years old in Chicago may be exposed to lead-contaminated water.

Written in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the research explained data from 38,385 household lead tests conducted by the Chicago Department of Water Management between January 2016 and September 2023.

Employing machine learning techniques, researchers estimated lead levels in tap water across the city based on this data.

Study Exposes Water Contamination in Residential Block in Chicago

The findings indicated that approximately 75% of residential city blocks in Chicago had water contaminated with lead. Dangerously, more than two-thirds of young children in Chicago, totaling around 129,000 kids, live in these affected areas and may be at danger of lead exposure.

Dr. Benjamin Huynh, the lead author of the research and assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, conveyed disappointment at the range of lead contamination, quoting that such circumstances should not be happening in 2024.

The research also displayed differences, with city blocks mostly occupied by Black or Hispanic populations being less likely to experience lead testing and more likely to have lead-contaminated water.

Researchers examined whether a dwelling block had lead-contaminated water by evaluating if most of the tests within the block displayed a lead concentration exceeding 1 part per billion (ppb).

It's remarkable that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says there is no safe level of lead in water.

In spite of the EPA's action level of 15 ppb in 10% of samples, the research found that 9% of household tests in Chicago surpass this threshold, as reported by Johns Hopkins.

What Causes Lead Contamination in Water

Lead contamination happens when lead-containing pipelines, faucets, and fixtures corrode, leaching lead into the water. Although lead pipes were banned in 1986, many cities, including Chicago, still have lead service pipes, with the city boasting nearly 400,000 such pipes, the topmost in the U.S., according to the research.

Given the imperativeness of the circumstances Dr. Huynh highlights the need for interim measures such as improving access to lead testing and giving filtration to households with lead service lines while municipalities work on replacement of lead pipes.

As lead is unseen, tasteless, and odorless, testing remains the only trustworthy procedure to discover its existence in drinking water. To diminish danger, people are encouraged to test their water, ask with their water supplier about lead service lines, and make use of proper filtration procedures, according to the EPA.

Consequences of Water Contamination

Contaminated water and poor sanitation add to the transmission of illness such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. Inadequate management of water and sanitation services boost the danger of disease, especially in healthcare settings.

Unsafe water, sanitation, and hand hygiene practices lead to roughly 1 million deaths yearly from diarrhea, with children under 5 particularly sensitive.

Addressing these causes could avoid about 395,000 deaths in young children each year. Inadequacy of water access may discourage handwashing, heighten the danger of diarrheal ailment and other diseases.

Additionally, illnesses such as schistosomiasis influence millions worldwide, requiring preventive medication.

Insects breeding in clean water sources can transmit diseases like dengue fever, highlighting the importance of interventions such as covering water storage containers to reduce vector breeding and fecal contamination.