Nearly 200,000 New Jersey families were notified recently that the tap water they drink in their homes has been flowing through lead pipes.
It’s easy to mistake childhood lead exposure for some type of temporary ailment – like food poisoning from undercooked chicken.
Exposure to lead-laced tap water isn’t just a few days of digestive trouble. Lead exposure can disrupt a child’s entire future. Few are taking the threat lead poses to future generations seriously enough.
Lead exposure can hinder proper brain development. In Flint, Mich., the percentage of students who needed special education services increased from 15 percent before the lead contamination began to 28 percent – more than double the national average of 13 percent. According to a study from the University of Texas, people exposed to lead before age six could suffer a lifetime potential earnings loss of $22 billion.
But lead exposure doesn’t just diminish academic potential; it could also set children down a destructive behavioral path.
A recent study from Duke University revealed children exposed to lead-laced water before age six had a 21 percent higher risk of being reported for delinquent behavior after age14. Moreover, teens exposed to lead before age six had a 38 percent increased risk of engaging in serious criminal actions such as misdemeanor assault or felony property or weapons offenses.
The study focused on lead exposure from private wells. The United States Department of the Interior states roughly 15 percent of Americans (43 million people) rely on private wells for their tap water. And clearly, elected officials in Flint, Benton Harbor, and Newark have proven that public water supplies don’t necessarily guarantee better results.
Lead exposure can derail a child’s future before it even begins. But Congress is treating it like a bottom-tier issue.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law in November included $15 billion to replace lead pipes throughout the country. But it would actually cost more than $60 billion to replace them all.
Are Americans okay with the federal government only fronting 25 percent of the funding needed to address this lasting problem?
Congress found $65 billion to ensure high-speed internet access. It found $110 billion to fill potholes and repair bridges. Nearly $90 billion was allocated to public transportation along with an additional $66 billion just to clear Amtrak’s maintenance backlog.
Railroads and the internet are important, but shouldn’t we prioritize protecting the brain development of future generations?
A recent report from the Associated Press revealed that 20 percent of adults refuse to drink tap water – even if it’s filtered. Black and Hispanic families are even less likely to trust the tap. Since the Flint water crisis, tap water distrust has risen 10 percent for Black respondents and 11 percent for Hispanic respondents to totals of 35 percent and 38 percent, respectively.
According to a study from Pennsylvania State University, many of these families reach for alternatives, including sugary drinks.
Even with the $15 billion that has been allocated to replace lead pipes, it will still take years for these lead pipes to be replaced with safer alternatives.
President Joe Biden proposed adding roughly $15 billion in additional funding to the Build Back Better Act to further address America’s lead pipe problem, but that legislation is reportedly dead in the water. But If Congress cares about this issue, lawmakers can choose to pass funding for pipe replacements in a stand-alone bill. Congress can prove, in a bipartisan fashion, that it will not let one more generation suffer because of toxic tap water.
