The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to strengthen regulations on lead levels in drinking water in an effort to further reduce lead exposure in children. Despite the banning of lead in gasoline for new cars and the discontinuation of lead paint, an estimated 500,000 U.S. children still have high levels of lead in their blood, with lead in drinking water being a significant source. The updated rules are expected to require utilities to actively replace harmful lead pipes, a move that President Joe Biden has already called for. However, the process of replacing lead pipes is costly, and homeowners in many cities may be required to bear the financial burden.

Lead exposure in children has been linked to significant reductions in intelligence, impaired coordination, and difficulties in focusing and learning. Federal officials emphasize that there is no safe level of lead for children, and even small amounts can lower IQ scores. The proposed regulations on lead in drinking water come as the federal government also addresses lead contamination in aviation fuel and proposes stricter limits on dust from lead-based paint in older homes and child-care facilities.

The EPA's efforts to regulate lead in drinking water have a complicated history. In the 1980s, EPA researcher Ronnie Levin quantified the damage caused by lead exposure and leaked her analysis to the press, sparking public outcry and pressuring the EPA to take action. The agency issued rules in 1991 that required utilities to test for lead in homes and add anti-corrosive chemicals, but it did not mandate the elimination of lead in drinking water. The rules set an action level of 15 parts of lead per billion parts of water, with utilities allowed to exceed this threshold in 10% of samples. The EPA faced internal disagreements and opposition from water utilities during the development of these rules.

The impact of lead in drinking water became evident in the lead crisis in Washington, D.C., in the early 2000s. The local utility hid test results from the EPA, leading to delayed notification to the public about high lead concentrations in tap water. The crisis in Washington, D.C., was more severe than the Flint water crisis, according to experts. The CDC also came under criticism for downplaying the problem, and later reports confirmed that blood lead levels in young children had substantially increased during the drinking water crisis.

Despite efforts to address lead in drinking water, problems persist. The existing regulations have been credited with reducing lead levels, but they are not adequately enforced. Some officials argue that the regulations do not go far enough in monitoring lead levels and pushing for further reductions. Crises in Newark, New Jersey, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, exposed the limitations of the current regulations. In both cases, lead pipes were eventually replaced, but the events took a toll on residents, who faced uncertainty and concerns about the long-term effects of lead exposure.

The EPA's proposed strengthening of regulations on lead in drinking water is seen as a crucial step towards protecting children from the harmful effects of lead exposure. The removal of lead pipes and addressing lead-leaching plumbing in homes will require significant investment, but experts argue that the cost is necessary to safeguard public health. With renewed attention on lead poisoning prevention, there is hope that the numbers of children exposed to lead will continue to decrease.