Newark Drinking Water Lead Corrosion Awareness and Testing Needed

Posted by on December 18, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Interesting article – “Newark said its water was safe, but email reveals it was warned of problems months ago”.

“City officials in Newark said they learned in October that lead water contamination wasn’t just affecting a dozen homes, but was a “widespread problem,” potentially impacting as many as 40,000 residents. But, a newly-released email shows officials were warned at least seven months earlier — months they spent insisting the water was “absolutely safe to drink,” and assuring residents that the issue was confined to a small number of homes.

Beginning in April of this year, through messages on its website and in public statements, the city blamed old infrastructure for elevated lead levels in tap water samples. New court records in an ongoing federal lawsuit over the city’s lead problem, however, show a consultant pointed to another cause: Newark’s water treatment at one of its plants no longer appeared to work — an early sign that the issue could be widespread.

CDM Smith, the consultant hired by Newark to study how the city was treating its water, submitted its draft report in October but shared its initial findings with three officials as early as February, records show.

In a Feb. 22 email to the city’s top water department officials — including then-director Andrea Hall Adebowale and then-deputy director Kareem Adeem — the consultant said a preliminary review showed Newark’s method of preventing lead from corroding off old plumbing and dissolving into the distribution system “has not been effective.””

Read More

Our Take

  1. Identifing and fixing system wide water distribution problems related to corrsion is not fast or easy.
  2. Part of the problem may be your own household plumbing, fixtures, and service lines – have a plumber check your piping.
  3. In my opinion, it is the user that will first notice a problem.  These problems could be identified as a blue-green coating of aerators, blue green water, a metallic taste, and in the extreme corrosion and leaky pipes.
  4. Check your home for lead paint and dust hazards.
  5. We strongly recommend all water users to due the following:
    1. Order and have some easy to use self water testing kits.
    2. Consider using a point-of-use drinking water filter to polish your water.
    3. Know Your H20 – Get your water check by a laboratory at least annually.

Recommending Reading and More.

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Recommending Household Testing

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Filed under Children's Health, city water testing, Clean Water Act, Environmental Hazards, Environmental Health, Home Inspectors, Homeowner, lead, Water, Water Testing, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Pennsylvania Lead Task Force – John Yudichak. Senate Resolution 33

Posted by on August 3, 2017 · Leave a Comment 

Senate Approves Resolution Creating Task Force to Investigate Threat of Lead Exposure in Pennsylvania

Senator John T. Yudichak recently announced that Senate Resolution 33 — which creates a bipartisan task force to investigate the scope of Pennsylvania’s lead exposure problem — was approved unanimously by the full Senate. The resolution had been approved unanimously by the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee at the end of April.

Senator Yudichak introduced the resolution earlier this session because lead exposure can threaten the health and well-being of every Pennsylvanian—especially senior citizens and children. “The task force report will advance cooperative efforts to arm the General Assembly with better information and best practice recommendations to develop new lead abatement programs that more aggressively mitigate lead exposure in Pennsylvania,” said State Senator John Yudichak.

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The resolution calls for the Senate to establish a task force on lead exposure comprised of the chairs of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee and two members appointed by the Senate President pro tempore and the Minority Leader. An advisory committee of the Joint State Government Commission will conduct a comprehensive review of Pennsylvania law and public policy related to lead exposure and abatement practices and then submit a report to the task force and full Senate within 18-months. The report must assess the age of housing and infrastructure, lead exposure threats, and identify the prevalence of lead in structures where children spend significant time.

A few key points

  1. This is not just a drinking water issue.  Lead is present in many homes and sources include old lead paint, cookware, make-up, and other consumer products.
  2. If on city water, check piping in home for lead pipe and evidence of corrosion.  Remove the aeration devices and clean and flush the water lines to remove any films and coatings.
  3. If on city water – read the Consumer Confident Reports generated by water supplier and look for signs of corrosion.
  4. If on well water – get your water tested.
  5. Use are free phone App – Know Your H20 – Android / Google ;  Apple

Filed under Children's Health, city water testing, environmental education, Environmental Hazards, Environmental Health, lead, Pennsylvania, Water Testing, Well, Well water testing · Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Reduce Exposure to Toxic Chemicals and Compounds

Posted by on July 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment 

“The Tendr coalition includes pediatric neurologists, several minority physician associations, nurses, learning disability advocacy groups, environmental organizations, and the Endocrine Society, which has compiled several scientific statements documenting adverse health effects linked to endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic or disrupt the hormones in our own bodies. Dozens of scientists and health providers have signed the statement, as has Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.”

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How to Limit Your Exposure to Toxic Chemicals

A coalition of doctors, scientists and health advocates says you may be able to reduce your overall exposure to toxic chemicals by taking the following steps:

  • Reduce pesticide exposure by choosing organic strawberries, apples, nectarines, green beans, celery and spinach.    (This may be expensive, you may want to consider growing your own or at least washing and rinsing the items or buying from a USA Source).
  • Choose seafood low in mercury like salmon, sardines, and trout.  (Limit the intake of bottom feeders).
  • Breast-feed your baby if you can; if you use formula, make sure the water is lead-free.  (Lead-free water may require the installation of a point of use water treatment system).
  • When buying furniture with padding like a high chair, sofa or mattress, ask for products that are labeled free of toxic flame retardants.
  • Avoid exposing the family to tobacco smoke, wood smoke from fireplaces and wood stoves, idling car exhaust, cooking fumes from stoves and grills.
  • If you’re putting in a new floor, choose either phthalate-free vinyl flooring or wood, bamboo or cork. (Check on the sources of the materials).
  • Avoid plastic toys, backpacks, lunch boxes and school supplies made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which can be a source of phthalates.  (This may be tough- First Choice Buy Made in the USA).
  • Choose fragrance-free personal care products to avoid phthalates in fragrances .   (Try naturally scent oils)
  • When using stool softeners, laxatives and other time-release capsules, look for phthalates on the list of inactive ingredients so you can avoid them.   (How about eat more fiber).
  • Use nontoxic alternatives to pesticides in your yard and on your pets.   (or use them as directed)
  • Screen your house for lead. If it was built before 1978, lead paint may place your family at risk. If paint is chipping or peeling, it can build up in house dust and stick to children’s hands.   (Lead Paint Testing and Comprehensive Water Testing)
  • Reduce household dust that may contain lead, flame retardants, phthalates and pesticides. Take shoes off before you come into the house and use a doormat to trap dirt outside and inside the doorway. Damp mop, use a HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner and dust with a microfiber cloth.   (Least us not forget Mold and Radon)

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Source:

Know Your H20 – Get a Community Hazard Report

Filed under Air Quality, Children's Health, Environmental Hazards, Environmental Health · Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,