The story of Flint, Michigan's children being poisoned by lead-contaminated drinking water has, rightly, shocked and scandalized the nation. But while the situation in Flint is certainly an extreme case, the problem is much more widespread than many realize: Children in essentially every city in America are being exposed to hazardous levels of toxic lead, and very little is being done about it.
At the most severe levels, according to the World Health Organization, "lead attacks the brain and central nervous system to cause coma, convulsions, and even death." Thankfully, very little lead poisoning that severe is happening in the United States. But lead's impact on the brain — particularly the developing brains of children and fetuses — is severe and systematic, "resulting in reduced [IQ], behavioral changes such as shortening of attention span and increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment." At least mild versions of these impacts are felt at even low levels of exposure "that cause no obvious symptoms and that previously were considered safe."
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Only the Stadium-Armory level of lead contamination is at a truly alarming level. But all the central city locations studied — including Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, and LeDroit Park — exceed the Norwegian government standard of roughly 100 parts per million of lead in soil.
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