Acme Fresh Market: Chicago Lead Water

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Chicago Lead Water

The kit is free and is mailed to your address with a set of instructions that can be requested in multiple languages. Simply request a free test kit and when it arrives follow the instructions carefully to collect water samples.

Could Milwaukee Be A Model For Replacing Chicago S Lead Water Pipes Chicago News Wttw

Chicago a leader in so many ways has not done a good enough job of protecting its residents from lead in its decades-old water pipes.

Chicago lead water. Chicago is the epicenter for lead service lines LSLs in the United States. A corrosion inhibitor is added to Chicagos drinking water which forms a coating on the inside of water service lines. Chicago only tests for lead in the water every three years and then only 50 homes are tested.

But about 360000 Chicago homes still have lead service lines. In Chicago water service lines made of lead were used to connect water mains to homes until 1986 when they were banned by the federal government. These service lines the pipes that connect the water main in the street to our faucets are still used in about 80 of all Chicago homes which can release lead into our drinking water.

CHICAGO CBS The City of Chicago plans to begin paying to replace old lead pipes connecting the water to some peoples homes and installing meters on those old lines to measure usage. Allison Arwady head of the Chicago Department of Public Health said children who have higher levels of lead in their blood are overwhelmingly found to have been exposed to lead through paint. More than 8 of every 10 Illinoisans live in a community where brain-damaging lead was found in the tap water of at least one home during the past six.

These pipes can leach lead into water even when undisturbed. In a report submitted to Illinois Environmental Protection Agency IEPA in April Chicago Water reported having 392614 LSLs 75 of the total service lines in its water system that serves 27 million people living in the city and the citys 125 suburbs. Advice to Chicago Residents About Lead in Drinking Water Have your water tested.

Meanwhile the City is taking applications for two lead service line replacement programs for homeowners who would like to replace their lead service lines. The water in Chicago is safe Lightfoot and other officials emphasized but the lead lines are a legacy issue that need to be addressed. Lead found in tap water usually comes from the corrosion of these items.

Be aware of any work that could disturb your lead service line. Chicago has commissioned an ongoing technical report to help us to replace the citys almost 400000 lead service lines over time that transport water from the water main in the street into homes. Many public water systems will test drinking water for residents upon request.

The city is correct when it says thats all the EPA requires and that Chicago meets all EPA standards for lead in water. A valid residential address is required in order to deliver the kit. In addition lead can be present in plumbing fixtures within the home such as old faucets solder used to connect plumbing and sometimes interior lead.

Recent Study results have shown that approximately 71 of homes receiving water meters are seeing an increase that puts them above 15 parts per billion- the Environmental Protection Agencys action level for lead in drinking water. But after Del Torals study found more lead in the water than previously reported the EPA is urging more testing. As other cities turned to.

GET A FREE WATER TEST. Nearly 70 percent of homes tested had some lead in their water. Toxic lead was found in tap water drawn from nearly 70 of 2797 homes across Chicago within the past two years according to a Chicago Tribune analysis of results from the tested water.

Through a focus on removing lead-based paint and dust hazards Chicago has achieved significant success in reducing the percentage of children with high blood lead levels 10 ucgdl or higher from 25 in the late 1990s to less than one percent today. In Chicago lead-based paint and lead contaminated dust are the most dangerous sources of lead and contribute more to lead poisoning than water. In early 2018 the Chicago Tribune analyzed Chicagos drinking water and discovered that 30 percent of 2797 homes where tap water was sampled had lead concentrations higher than 5 parts per billion ppb the highest level the US Food Drug Administration allows in bottled water.

Any Chicago resident concerned about lead in their homes water may request a free water test by a certified lab. To be clear Chicagos water is safe to drink and we are taking this step out of an abundance of caution. If you are interested in testing your drinking water for lead you can make a service request for a Water Lead Test Kit.

However if water is unused for long periods of time lead from plumbing or pipes can leach into the water.

Chicago S Drinking Water Is Full Of Lead Report Says