CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- New research published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics suggests that 68% of Chicago children under the age of 6 are exposed to lead in drinking water.
129,000 children have been exposed to at least trace amounts of lead in drinking water, according to the research, and Black and Latino children are disproportionally impacted and less likely to be tested.
The threshold in the study was one part per billion. 15 parts per billion sets off alarms.
“Chicago’s water continues to meet and exceed all standards” set by the EPA, the city said in a statement, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “There is always more to be done and we will continuously work towards a future where no child in Chicago is at risk of lead poisoning.”
The study authors wrote, "The impact of low-level, long-term exposure to lead-contaminated drinking water may not be easily identifiable at the individual level."
They also wrote, "Instead, it could cause population-level increases in adverse health outcomes, such as lower population-level mean IQ or increased preterm births.”
It's estimated that it will take decades to replace lead service lines.
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