thomasjasengardner
Senior
Life Science
Communication
University of
Wisconsin-Madison
1800 words
Wednesday, July
6, 2011
608.577.1446
Lead, An Invisible Terror
“I knew I had to
protect, love and care for my children, but I could not protect them from lead
poisoning, “ said South Madison resident Mary Moore. Her infant son and
daughter contacted lead poisoning in 1992 and both have suffered brain damage
and continuing physical aliments from lead poisoning.
On January 1st,
2012, Madison Water Utility will have replaced or removed the city’s 6,000 lateral
lead water service pipes with galvanized iron pipes. In addition, 5,000 private
property owners will have replaced their curb to meter lead water lines with
new piping. The Water Utility Board adopted the nearly $12 million dollar
project in 1999 with the cooperation of the City of Madison. “As of this point
we have less than 200 curb to house replacements and less then 5 percent of
water main to curb service lines to replace,” said Joseph Grande, Madison Water
Utility Water Manager.
City water samples
in 1997 exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency allowable limits and the
Center for Disease Control limits for lead in drinking water. The quality of
Madison’s drinking water was cause for an immediate “ action level” of
intervention. In 1999, the EPA, City of
Madison, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources effected the Madison’s
Lead Water Replacement Ordinance plan to replace lead water service pipes in 10
years under the jurisdiction of the EPA Lead and Copper Rule.
The rule allocates
a national regulation to replace or eliminate lead pipes in city municipalities
because of the increasing amount of body lead levels in adults and children.
The most
frequently used metal in home plumbing systems and main public water lateral
pipelines since 1926 was lead. Lead in potable drinking water is responsible
for upwards of 20 percent of all lead poisoning cases according to the CDC.
“Wisconsin’s
children are being poisoned by lead in greater numbers than many other states,”
said the 2008 Wisconsin State Report on Childhood Lead Poisoning. The body’s
absorption of lead piggybacking in Madison’s water can be as high as 50
percent.
Absorption of lead
often occurs with no obvious pinpointed symptoms and may go unrecognized
without professional medical tracking. Most
of the dysfunctions produced by lead are due to lead's ability to mimic and
inhibit the actions of calcium. In
humans the lead is directly absorbed, distributed, and excreted. Once in the
bloodstream lead is distributed throughout the body. Blood and soft tissue such as kidneys, bone
marrow, liver, and brain tissue, and mineralized tissue such as bones and teeth
easily absorb and retain lead.
Once
lead enters the body it interferes with normal cell function and physiological
processes. Some of the physiological effects of lead include harm done to the
peripheral and central nervous system, blood cells, metabolism of vitamin D and
calcium, and reproduction.
The
nervous system seems to be the most sensitive to lead poisoning. Low
levels of lead exposure have been proven to reduce cognitive intelligence in a
mother’s fetus, infants and young children. The harmful effects on mental
development in young children include a reduction in attention span and
learning skills. Lead poisoning is
responsible for a lower I.Q. and a host of additional problems that include
learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, seizures and even death. Adults
exposed to lead poisoning also typically experience kidney problems and high
blood pressure.
Socially aggressive behavior, juvenile
delinquency and adult violent crime may also be symptomatic of lead poisoning.
“These are identified as outcomes that have correlated lead with negative
behavior, “ said John Hausbeck, Environmental Health Supervisor for Public
Health of Madison and Dane County.
“Madison must
minimize the lead level in tap water in order to meet mandated federal water
quality standards,” according to the Madison Water Utility Lead Replacement Program
pamphlet. The EPA’s 2009 Safe Drinking Water Act was allocated $2 billion to
help finance the 1997 EPA Lead and Copper Rule that reduces lead concentrations
in the nations drinking water to 5 parts per billion. The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and
Urban Affairs estimates that the costs of national lead abatement maybe as high
as $206 billion. The Center for Disease Control estimates the social costs of
lead poisoning are much higher.
The precautionary
information to protect children from the risk of lead exposure came to late for
Moore, a neighborhood dental assistant. Moore missed many workdays to escort
her children to doctor appointments and school visits to help them maintain
education goals despite learning disabilities from lead poisoning. “Physical
and speech therapy greatly helped their ongoing recovery,” she confided.
“Adults on a low income and especially
minority children continue to be at the greatest risk of lead exposure,” said Daphne
Daniels, Lead Toxicity Outreach Specialist for UW Medical Foundation.
“My children came
this close to dying from lead exposure,” said Moore as she displayed a small
gap between her left thumb and index finger. When the blood tests came back
positive for lead exposure, “The doctor said to take the children to the
hospital immediately,” she added. The amount of medical screening for lead is
still well below the amount needed to identify lead-poisoned children in
high-risk populations stated a City of Madison, Department of Public Health
Report Card.
Lead
enters drinking water primarily as a result of the corrosion, or wearing away
of pipe metals. Lead has traditionally
been used in the public water lateral distribution system of private businesses,
factories, and household plumbing. These materials include lead-based solder
used to join copper pipe, brass and chrome plated brass faucets, and in some
cases, pipes made of lead that connect water faucets to the water main lateral pipes.
“Even after you remove lead pipes, there are
still potential sources for lead,” Grande warned. Lead particles and dissolved
lead gets trapped in the bends and twists of home water fixtures. Grande added
that the utility has no authority to change pipes in private homes or
businesses but recommends changing all internal plumbing. One health official suggests replacing all
metal internal plumbing with rigid plastic pipe.
Homes
built before 1950 are highly susceptible of being heavily laced with lead paint
and plumbing. Disturbing the metal pipe contributes to lead leeching into many water
taps in buildings and homes built before 1950. Recent lateral pipe
reconstruction is in conjunction with the recent spike in documented lead
poisonings as written in the 2010 Dane County Environmental Health Profile
report.
Nearly
80 percent of Madison homes were built prior to 1950 according to the 2000
Census report. Homes built after the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Amendments have
“lead-free” plumbing that still contain up to 8 percent of lead.
Grande
also advised that lead in outdated household plumbing is severely affected by
inorganic and organic chemicals. “Lead actually bonds to iron and manganese,”
he added. Manganese is a natural
component of the city’s groundwater aquifer. According to the Public Health of
Madison and Dane County website, the silver colored mineral can be harmful if
consumed in excess of a normal diet. Recent evidence links excess manganese to
Parkinson’s syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the ability
to learn and remember.
The
concentration of lead in the brain is increased by 3-fold when manganese
interacts with lead in the body, according to a 2004 chemical profile by the
U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services. In addition, this combination
affects the body’s natural chemicals that deliver messages within the brain. “The most significant neurochemical effect of
the manganese-lead combination was a continuing decrease in norepinephrine
brain activity as lead-manganese levels are increased,” cited the report.
An
EPA’s 2003 health document for manganese also discusses studies that identify
an association between exposure to manganese in drinking water and learning
disabilities in children.
Another
chemical that increases lead exposure is the corrosive disinfectant chloramine.
When it chemically interacts with lead, human blood lead levels will increase
from drinking tap water. “Research has suggested that disinfection with
chloramine may result in higher lead levels,” Grande concurred in a subsequent
e-mail.
According
to the non-profit Environmental Working Group, the more scientists study lead,
the more they find subtle but noticeable neurological damage to the brain at
lower and lower levels of exposure. A congress of scientists believes that brain
damage from lead is permanent.
Lead
is a heavy, soft, toxic, gray-blue metal that has no known physiologically
relevant role in the body. The EPA eventually wants a lead level of zero in
potable drinking water under perfect conditions. New guidelines allow 5 parts
per billion in the water distribution system and 10 parts per billion at the
water tap. But because of extenuating circumstances regarding the cost of
prevention or unforeseen circumstances, 15 parts per billion is the Maximum
Containment Level allowed. There is also evidence that harmful lead
toxicity occurs well below the MCL acknowledged as relevant by the EPA.
Toxicologists
continue the debate about urine testing for lead as a better detective then
blood testing, Wisconsin surveys lead toxicity with blood samples. Hair has
been used as the test of choice by the Environmental Protection Agency in
determining toxic metal exposure. A 1980 report released by the E.P.A stated
that human hair should be the preferred method for biological monitoring of
toxic metals. This report confirmed the findings of other studies, which
concluded that hair might be a more appropriate tissue for studying community
exposure to toxic metals than blood or urine analysis.
Removal
of any type of lead is important. Do not purchase-canned foods sealed with
solder, or acidic foods stored in lead based containers. Check to see if lead
water pipes are being used in your home or work. When lead water pipes are present,
filter the water, or change to bottled or charcoal filtered water. Do not eat foods grown or animals raised near
highways or factories. Do not play or work next to heavily traveled roads or buildings
being remodeled. To decrease airborne concentrations of lead accumulating
inside well-insulated airtight building, open the windows if you can.
Toxic
lead is recognized as the most hazardous of all the toxic metals. Newborns,,
infants, children, the elderly, ill people, ethnic groups and pregnant women
are the most vulnerable to the absorption and retention of lead. Even low levels of lead can affect the fetus
and contribute to learning disorders, behavioral disorders, and physical health
tribulations. Routine screening of children and adults is recommended by the
Wisconsin Department of Environmental Health.
“If
he could be gainfully employed, despite his difficulties, life would be much
better for him,” Moore said about her 21-year-old son. According to Moore, the combination of lead in
drinking water based infant formula and lead from a remodeled bathroom plaster
wall contributed to her children’s unpleasant health history.
However, Moore’s
grandchildren will not have to succumb to the vestiges of lead in drinking
water because Madison Water Utility is pioneering efforts to eliminate lead in
it’s lateral pipes. The public utility also has 810 miles of water mains that
laterally connect to mostly residential and municipal buildings, and some small
businesses that serve 226,000 people.
Over the next 40
years, the utility will have to replace 400 miles of water mains to continue
its obligation of providing safe drinking water from the city’s 23 wells and 31
reservoirs.
thomasjasengardner
Thursday, July 7, 2011
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