CHILD LEAD POISONING AND THE LEAD INDUSTRY Lead Pipes Certainly, the Lead Indusries Association (LIA) and its members were consistent: no matter how dangerous were their products, they did not hesitate to market them if they could bring a profit. Take lead water pipes, for instance. By the 1920s most pipes installed for water distribution were made of iron, at least in part because lead was known to seriously contaminate drinking water supplies. For quite some years medical and scientific studies had accumulated that showed that lead poisoning could easily result from drinking water conducted through lead pipes. Many local plumbing codes in the US reflected that knowledge and banned lead water pipes. And at its inception, in 1928, the LIA kept abreast of changes in plumbing codes around the country. For the next few decades the LIA worked actively to promote the use of lead in water pipes. Here is a sampling: - in 1930 the LIA investigated a case of lead poisoning in conjunction with the Charleston Water Works; it also lobbied the federal government to change building specifications to increase the use of lead. - in 1930 it prepared a booklet on lead pipes and proposed a "model" standard for lead pipes. - the LIA's 1934 annual meeting minutes record an "intensive" effort to reverse the downward trend of the use of lead pipes; contacts are reported with city officials, master plumbers and plumbing associations. A key part of this campaign was the hiring of an agent to, in the words of the LIA Secretary: "work on our behalf and I am pleased to report that the work has more than met with an excellent reception. It has grown so quickly and so strongly that it has reached a stage at which it is really too large a problem for one man working in the Eastern part of the United States alone to handle. We have rekindled an interest on the part of master and journeymen plumbers in the use of lead. We have pointed out to municipalities the risks that they run in advocating substitutes for lead and have received the endorsement of numerous important State master plumbers and journeymen plumbers associations with whom the subject has been discussed....since the first of the year, even greater advances have been made and we firmly believe that in a comparatively short time there will be growing evidence of the advantageous results accuring [sic] to our members from this work." - in 1934, the LIA adds a second person to promote the use of lead pipes in the eastern U.S. - over the next 2 decades the LIA continued to promote lead pipes through contacts with plumber organizations and local boards, lobbying federal agencies and publishing newsletters. - in its September 1941 meeting minutes, the LIA notes that: * it now has 3 representatives in the field; * federal government plumbing specifications again include lead (they had been absent for several years [now why would that be?]); * the elimination of lead specifications in several local plumbing codes had been prevented; * a new "Plumbing Manual" by the U.S. Bureau of Standards has specifications for lead pipes and fittings *************************************************** The following article is a good example of the price we are paying for the lead industry's disregard of the public's health. The Star-Ledger Archive COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2002 Date: 2002/08/15 Thursday Page: 019 Section: NEW JERSEY Edition: FINAL Size: 614 words Camden parents urge action on water taint District's report reveals high lead levels By ANTHONY S. TWYMAN STAR-LEDGER STAFF Camden residents demanded yesterday that state and local officials fix their drinking water pipes and test their children for health and learning disabilities after high levels of lead were found in the water at more than 20 public schools. Roy Jones, director of the Camden Community Recovery Coalition, a neighborhood group, said residents are alarmed by the high levels of lead revealed in a school district report that he and other residents have seen, but which has yet to be made public. The report, Jones said, shows that 26 of the 34 public schools in Camden have lead levels that are more - some as much as 20 times more - than the level of 15 parts per billion that the federal government considers dangerous. Residents obtained the report after filing a Freedom Of Information Act request with the school district. Camden's mayor and school district officials did not return phone calls seeking comment yesterday. "The children of this community are at risk," Jones said during a news conference outside the Early Childhood Development Center in Camden, where he was joined by environmentalists and concerned residents and parents. Jones yesterday demanded that by Sept. 1, bottled water be made available to students in every Camden school and that every student be checked for lead, as well as for behavioral and learning disabilities that may be related to lead ingestion. He also said the state should pay for any medical services children may need to correct any lead-related ailments. Lead poisoning can affect anyone, but the highest risk is to children under the age of 5, whose developing brains can be ravaged by the toxin. Even in low doses, lead can impair neurological function, and at higher levels it can cause stunted growth. DEP officials said they are reviewing the school district's drinking water report, but thus far have been unable to determine if it is correct. "We are working with them to review that data and to take any measures that may be necessary to ensure a safe water supply before school opens in September," DEP spokesman Fred Mumford said. Samples the DEP took recently do "not indicate unsafe levels of contamination," officials said. But they plan to do more testing to see if there is a problem. The DEP sampled for lead and other substances, such as copper and mercury, from March to June at homes, schools, day care and community centers throughout Camden. Of the 48 schools, day care and community centers tested, 46 met federal standards for safe drinking water, while two will require retesting. Of the 39 homes and businesses tested, seven showed lead levels above the state action level, with only one home having lead above the standard for safe drinking water. DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell plans to hold a public meeting at Rutgers University's Camden campus with residents tonight to discuss the DEP's findings, as well as the school district's findings and how to address drinking water problems. Campbell said the risks of elevated lead levels can be "completely eliminated by following common- sense measures like letting tap water run for about 30 seconds or until the temperature cools." The usual source of high lead levels at the tap is water that has been standing in the pipes for at least six hours, officials say. Running the water until it turns cold, about one minute, can flush the pipes - a measure that lasts for about six hours. |
