Record
Lead (widely used in car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable sheathing, lead crystal, and radiation shielding) is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in the body over time and has been linked to many serious health conditions.
The risk of exposure is greater in children. Studies have found that the heavy metal inhibits the development of the nervous system, causes learning disabilities, damages hearing, and reduces blood cell function.1 According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is no safe level of lead exposure. In children, lead exposure causes reduced IQ, poorer language development and attention span, and increased aggression and impulsivity. In addition, prolonged exposure for both children and adults can damage the brain and nervous system, reduce fertility, and increase the risk of hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, and possibly cancer.
Children in high-poverty areas are nearly 2.5 times more likely to have elevated blood lead levels than children in low-poverty areas, and children in predominantly black ZIP codes are about 9 percent more likely than children in predominantly white zip codes to have detectable lead in their blood. Because of racial differences in lead exposure, black infants are estimated to have about a 50% higher mean loss of blood-attributable IQ points than white or Hispanic infants and an estimated loss of $47,000 in lifetime earnings, compared to white and Hispanic losses of about $30,000. In addition, several studies have found that a given increase in blood lead levels can have greater effects on cognition, academic performance, and earnings for disadvantaged students than for their peers.
Children & Lead in Georgia Water
Although Georgia does not have as many lead pipes as states like Florida and Illinois, the EPA still estimates about 46,000 lead pipes exist in Georgia and affect school children. and across the country could be consuming lead in their schools. According to their report, Georgia scored an “F” on its lead-in-water policies to protect children from lead poisoning after nationwide school drinking water testing found that Georgia has no state laws or regulatory requirements to address lead. drinking water of schools.
Steps to lead-free water
In July 2021, the Georgia Department of Education announced a new initiative to provide free funding and resources to schools across the state to test their drinking water for lead. More than a year later, only 96 schools and daycares had signed up for the program and 82 had completed testing — a tiny fraction of Georgia’s more than 2,300 schools and 3,100 daycares. Program administrators and environmental advocates say that while the testing is free, under-enrollment is due to a lack of funding to help schools deal with any lead contamination they may find. Of the facilities tested in Georgia, 30 (37%) found at least one faucet with lead levels above 15 parts per billion, the action level at which federal regulation requires utilities to address contamination.
President Biden’s vision for lead-free water systems and dedicated funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act are expected to advance the goal of replacing 100% of lead lines. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act provides $15 billion through EPA’s State Drinking Water Fund (DWSRF) in grants and loans to water systems for lead supply line replacement (LSLR). Forty-nine percent of this funding must be provided to disadvantaged communities (as defined by the state) as grants or master forgiveness loans – which can provide a pathway for underserved communities that may not otherwise have access to funding for water infrastructure upgrades .
Georgia is set to receive nearly $120 million to replace dangerous lead pipes across the state and clean up drinking water in communities whose supplies are contaminated by toxic pollutants like “forever chemicals,” according to an Atlanta Journal report Constitution in April 2023. The money comes from a massive $6.5 billion pot that the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it is releasing to all 50 states, plus tribes and territories across the country, based on needs that were determined by a recent national drinking water assessment. Georgia also regularly receives funds from the federal Drinking Water State Revolving Fund — a long-standing grant program for water safety improvements.
A call to more appropriate action
The Black Women’s Health Imperative is a national nonprofit organization committed to advancing health equity and promoting the optimal health and well-being of Black women and girls. For the past four decades, BWHI has been a recognized leader in supporting policies, research, and programs that address the unique health needs of Black women. In the areas of reproductive health, chronic disease, mental health and overall well-being, we work with key stakeholders to drive change and reduce health inequalities. BWHI has been at the forefront of its advocacy for clean water reform for decades and is now uniting concerned Georgians in strongly urging Georgia officials to immediately plan efforts to eliminate lead exposure across the state of Georgia and enact state laws or regulatory requirements to address lead in school drinking water, thereby promoting healthier lives and a stronger economy.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES
1. Kann, Drew (5 April 2023). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia gets $120 million to remove lead pipes, ‘chemicals forever’. chemicals/TFJD6D6KN5DHTNR4KUJPETMDOY/#:~:text=Georgia%20%20not%20have%20as,water%20lines%20exist%20in%20Georgia
2. Campbell, Sophia and Wessel, David (13 May 2021) Brookings. What would it cost to replace all of the country’s lead water pipes?
3. WSBTV.com News Staff (February 24, 2023) New statewide study finds Georgia college students may be ingesting lead from drinking water.
4. Mehta, Gautama (January 5, 2023). GBP. PBS. NPR. Georgia offered money to schools to test their water for lead. Most did not register. Why;
5. US Environmental Protection Agency (7 April 2023), Water Infrastructure: Service Main Replacement Accelerators
6. Cellarius, Doris. (February 1, 2021). Biden freezes implementation of lead and copper rule. Sierra Club Grassroots Network.
BWHI is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of our nation’s 21 million Black women and girls—physically, emotionally and financially. Our core mission is to advance health equity, reproductive and social justice for Black women across the lifespan through policy, advocacy, education, research and leadership development. For more information about BWHI, visit www.bwhi.org.
