The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a final rule that forces water systems to replace water lines containing lead within a decade. It expects that between 96 and 99 percent of systems will be able to achieve this.
Exposure to lead can cause brain and nervous system damage in children. In adults, lead can cause reproductive issues, nerve disorders, high blood pressure and memory problems.
The Biden administration says that it expects its rule will prevent 900,000 infants from having low birth weight, 2,600 children from developing ADHD and 1,500 premature deaths from heart disease each year.
The announcement comes more than a decade after the start of the nation’s most well-known lead contamination crisis. In 2014, a water supply switch caused lead pipes in Flint, Mich., to corrode and resulted in the substance contaminating the city’s water and exposing nearly 100,000 people to lead.
Flint is just one of many communities whose water is served by lead pipes. About 9.2 million lead service lines serve water to communities across America.
While the new rule from the EPA was first proposed last year, an official described the final regulation as more stringent.
Biden touted the rule during a visit to swing state Wisconsin.
Read more at TheHill.com.
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