US finalizes rules to remove lead pipes within 10 years
President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday finalized a rule requiring the nation’s remaining lead pipes to be removed within 10 years. This is a measure aimed at preventing millions of people from being exposed to toxic metals linked to childhood developmental delays.
The policy is a cornerstone of the White House’s environmental justice efforts, as traditional water pipes are primarily installed in low-income and racial minority communities.
More than 367,000 pipes have been replaced since Biden took office, benefiting about 1 million people, the White House said in a statement ahead of Biden’s speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. . An additional 9 million homes still have service lines.
“We have known for decades that lead exposure has serious long-term health effects on children,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. The same service line is still delivering drinking water to households.”
“With improved lead and copper regulations and historic investments in lead pipe replacement, the Biden-Harris administration will ensure every community, regardless of race, geography, or wealth, is concerned about lead-contaminated water in their homes.” We have fulfilled our promise that there is no need to do so.”
There is no safe level of lead exposure. It bypasses the body’s critical defense known as the blood-brain barrier and causes irreversible cognitive damage in children, even in small amounts.
In adults, lead can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, high blood pressure, decreased kidney function, and cancer.
The Biden administration announced in 2021 its intention to remove the remaining service lines over the next few years. However, the plan was initially criticized for actually slowing down updates and potentially even preventing small public water systems from being updated altogether.
The government subsequently tightened its grip after being sued by nine states and the District of Columbia, as well as environmental justice groups Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Mona Hanna, a pediatrician in Flint, Michigan, who experienced a public health crisis caused by lead-contaminated water supplies a decade ago, said in a statement that the final rule “makes the situation worse for children and communities. “It’s a game-changer,” he said.
“With the improved lead and copper regulations finalized by the EPA, we will never again see the avoidable tragedy of cities and children being poisoned by lead pipes,” she added.
Funding for this effort comes from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021, which provides $50 billion to help upgrade the nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
© 2024 AFP
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