EPA slashes estimate of U.S. lead pipes to 4 million amid safety push
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated its estimate of lead pipes still in use across the country. The revised figure now stands at 4 million—significantly lower than the previous 9 million. According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, this adjustment reflects ongoing efforts to protect children from lead contamination in drinking water.
Lead pipes were widely installed in water systems until their ban in the 1980s. Though no longer used in new construction, older infrastructure still poses risks. Lead is a neurotoxin, and health experts agree that no level of exposure is safe.
The EPA’s revised estimate points to a clearer picture of the country’s lead pipe problem. With 4 million still in service, replacement efforts will continue under federal oversight. The agency’s focus remains on eliminating lead exposure risks, particularly for vulnerable groups like children.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
