New research found that smoke from the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, carried high concentrations of lead. An environmental toxicologist explains what else you’re breathing and how to stay safe.
A lead pipe (left) seen through a hole in the kitchen ceiling in the home of Desmond Odom, in Newark, New Jersey.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
President Biden has proposed spending $45 billion to replace every lead water pipe and service line in the nation. A public health expert explains why he sees this as a worthwhile investment.
New research finds that tap water avoidance is on the rise in the US, especially among minorities. An expert on water and health calls for better public education about water quality and testing.
Technical advances are reducing the volume of e-waste generated in the US as lighter, more compact products enter the market. But those goods can be harder to reuse and recycle.
Blood samples from pediatric health screenings can provide valuable data for public health research.
AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
The EPA has just adopted a rule that limits what kinds of science regulators can use in setting rules. A scholar explains how this shift could impede his work mapping child lead poisoning.
A harmful algal bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie in August 2017.
(NOAA/Aerial Associates Photography, Inc. by Zachary Haslick/flickr)
The Great Lakes contain reservoirs of legacy contaminants, mostly in their sediments, that are vulnerable to resuspension.
Health Canada has some of the strongest limits on lead in the world, but they can’t be effective without testing and a plan to replace pipes.
(Shutterstock)
An investigation showed that five Canadian cities had lead levels in their water on par with those in Flint, Mich. during its peak period of water contamination.
Warning signs in the Newark Health Department after the city learned that lead service lines to houses still were contaminating water.
Seth Wenig/AP
Qi Bing, University of California, Irvine e Maura C. Allaire, University of California, Irvine
Newark is the latest US city to struggle with high lead levels in drinking water. Ending this public health crisis will require more money and enforcement, plus stricter water testing standards.
Is your community’s water tainted with lead? The data might not have been reported.
ehrlif/shutterstock.com
Laura Pangallozzi, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Flint’s highest recorded lead levels were typical for water systems that report problems. What’s more, a number of cities haven’t reported their lead issues.
Two house painters in hazmat suits remove lead paint from an old house.
Jamie Hooper/Shutterstock.com
Even the tidiest space has some dust. Researchers are investigating just what these indoor particles are made of and their possible implications for human health.
A worker recycling lead in a lead acid battery recovery facility.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Lead contamination is not just a problem for Flint, Michigan. It is an issue in many regions. One epidemiologist figured out how to measure past lead exposure using treasured biological samples.
Port Pirie has been a world-leading centre for lead and zinc smelting.
and processing since 1889.
sondem/AAP
Urban pollutants are a health concern in growing cities. Scientists are turning to honey bees to help monitor contaminants in soil, water, air and plants.
Elon Musk may be on the hot seat for political donations and slurs against a British cave rescuer in Thailand, but his offer to pay for water filters in Flint, Mich., is laudable.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Michigan officials have ended distribution of free bottled water in Flint, but many residents believe the city’s water crisis is not over and have lost all trust in government.
Canada has done a remarkable job of reducing lead in people’s bodies. But the experience of Flint, Mich. – where children were exposed to toxic levels of lead – teaches us to remain cautious. Here, Flint citizens watch testimonies before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in Washington during 2016.
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)