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exec and Arthur T Knackerbracket have found the following story:
Students returning to school in Detroit next week will find their water fountains entirely shut off over concerns of elevated lead and copper levels—something that federal lawmakers say is part of a "disturbing and unacceptable" nationwide issue.
The decision to shut off the drinking water in Detroit was based on a first round of results from testing that the school district carried out in its 106 schools earlier this year. The results from just 24 schools so far surfaced 16 that had water sources tainted with excessive levels of lead, copper, or both. For instance, tests at the district's Academy of the Americas Elementary school found a kitchen and drinking faucet in a basement cafeteria that had lead levels of 182 micrograms per liter (ug/L) and 154 ug/L, respectively. Those are more than ten times the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limit of 15 ug/L. The full testing results can be found here.
[...] In a joint statement, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) were quick to point out that the contamination is not due to a problem with the region's water system. Rather, the pair blamed aging plumbing within the schools for the contamination.
"The water at GLWA's treatment plants is tested hourly and DWSD has no lead service lines connected to any DPSCD building. The drinking water is of unquestionable quality," the statement read.
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(Score: 4, Interesting) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Monday September 03 2018, @11:39AM (1 child)
So you're saying that for generations, potentially huge numbers of americans have been exposed to lead poisoning in the most formative years of brain development.
This explains soooooo much.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Monday September 03 2018, @02:14PM
Yes.
When I was a kid, I played D & D, and used the lead figurines that they sold for the game in those days. But I also heard warnings that lead was toxic, so I didn't handle the figurines much. It was a conflicting message for sure. Why were game shops allowed to sell lead figurines to children, if it was not safe? Therefore, didn't that mean the figurines were safe? They were easily the densest items I owned.
Now I know better. I know there are anti-social business people who don't give a rat's patootie that they're poisoning children, even their own children. They'll lie and deny, say the science isn't settled and lead is not really dangerous, and so on. Oh, and lead is no longer used for those figurines. They're all pewter or plastic now.
Another problem was the use of lead for sinkers for fishing, and for bullets. Old shooting ranges are basically toxic waste dumps thanks to lead bullets. If there's anyone you really do not want to see prone to increased violence thanks to lead poisoning, it is surely a gun lover.