Lead In Our Water Supply - A New Danger

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It is alarming to note that the New York City water supply to public schools and homes in certain cases, has a lead content that exceeds the safety threshold established by the Environmental Protection Agency. This becomes a serious issue when it is scientifically known that lead is an environmental pollutant metal, that if ingested can cause significant harm ranging from mild headaches to permanent memory and intellectual deficits, and in some cases, even death.

To date, the most affected population are children who have suffered lead poisoning by eating paint chips from the walls of old apartment buildings. The new danger, however, arises from water that flows through rusted lead pipes that have high lead content. Another Flint, Michigan crisis?

The city of New York has a test protocol of running the water in school outlets for several hours, with the expectation that such a procedure will flush out its lead contaminants. It has also set aside approximately $20 million to be spent on testing the water supply to ascertain its conformity with EPA safety standards. Although well-intended, such a small outlay, considering the inherent dangers of lead poisoning falls far short of attacking the “lead in water” problem relating to public schools. But what about the lead content that contaminates the water supply used in the kitchen sink of our homes?

We at Finz & Finz, P.C., have witnessed first-hand the devastating brain damage that leads paint chips have inflicted upon our young and innocent victims. Lead content in water can pose an even greater threat since, if a sufficient amount of the contaminants gets into the bloodstream of a child, the injury can be disastrous.

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Finz & Finz, P.C. is a New York and Long Island personal injury law firm based out of Mineola, NY. It was founded in 1984 and is highly rated, with many honors and awards of excellence.