Though efforts to replace potentially dangerous lead service lines across Illinois have been slow and costly, Cook County government Tuesday announced a new program to replace at least 550 such lines at suburban home-based day cares over the next two years. Under the new LeadCare Cook County, providers in Calumet City, Cicero, Hazel Crest, Harvey… Read more »
Posts Categorized: News
With no state funding and shifting guidance, schools’ actions on lead in water vary widely
By Emily Hoerner May 07, 2023 Chicago Tribune When officials from the Winnetka School District 36 on Chicago’s North Shore discovered traces of lead in school drinking water after complying with a state testing law in 2017, they quickly jumped into action. For any water sample showing lead levels above 5 parts per billion, they notified parents and… Read more »
Lead Contamination Surfaces in Affluent Atlanta Neighborhood
Elizabeth Burns had just come inside from gardening in 2021 when she caught a TV news report about a rocklike material contaminating a nearby community’s soil with lead. [KFF Health News] This story also ran on Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She was stunned. Her own backyard had many such chunks. The news segment identified the material as slag,… Read more »
A decade into the work, Chicago is finally taking out toxic lead pipes when it replaces water mains
A decade into the work, Chicago is finally taking out toxic lead pipes when it replaces water mains By Michael HawthorneChicago Tribune•Apr 28, 2023 at 11:47 am Blackhawk Sewer & Water contractor Khaild Waarith with a lead pipe that was extracted from the 3100 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in Chicago on April 10, 2023. (Antonio Perez… Read more »
To protect our health and environment, limit use of toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals’
PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are everywhere, including in some of our drinking water and in cosmetics, and 97% of people carry PFAS in their blood. Illinois legislators are working on proposals to limit PFAS use. By CST Editorial Board Apr 17, 2023, 4:35am CT It’s time to take the “forever” out of so-called “forever chemicals” in the environment…. Read more »
City should move more quickly to get lead out of Chicago’s drinking water
Editorial Sun-Times December 11, 2022 Chicago needs to get the lead out a lot faster than it has done so far. The city has the nation’s most serious problem with lead in drinking water. No level of lead in water is safe. Even at low levels, lead can harm kidneys and developing brains, leading to lower IQs, hearing… Read more »
Lead, mercury can affect birth ratio of boys to girls
Large new study suggests that exposure to lead and other pollutants can impact children even prior to birth. https://nbcnews.to/3DmdEUH
Lead investigations struggle during COVID-19.
Many state health agencies have struggled to conduct childhood environmental lead investigations during the pandemic due to safety concerns and limited workforce capacity. bit.ly/3lAsz7Q
Latest CDC Recommendations Based on Blood Lead Level ≥3.5 μg/dL
Recommendations for Follow-up and Case Management of Children Based on Initial Screening Capillary and Confirmed Venous Blood Lead Levels https://bit.ly/3DiD5Xv
It’s here — #GivingTuesday!
Let’s fight to end childhood lead poisoning once and for all. Every child in Chicago deserves lead-free lawns, parks, and school grounds to play in. Together, we can make a difference! DONATE