Citing the 25-year old Lead and Copper Rule, several Wisconsin and national experts and regulators are saying the rule is failing to protect Wisconsin’s drinking water from having harmful levels of lead in the aging pumbling system. A danger demonstrated in the public health crisis happening in Flint, MI.
Lead is primarily leached into Wisconsin’s drinking water by the corrosion of lead pipes and indoor plumbing components.
Health effects of lead include irreversible brain damage in children under age 6 and an increased risk of miscarriage in pregnant women.
Decades ago, when it became clear that lead was one of the worst toxins for the developing brain, U.S. regulatory agencies began to eliminate the heavy metal from gasoline, paint and new plumbing. But the efforts to address the nation’s existing water infrastructure were limited.
Read more from the Wisconsin Gazette.
