100 signatures reached
To: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Act NOW to remove lead from the country's water supply
Lead pipes can contaminate drinking water even at low exposure levels, and hundreds of thousands of people die each year prematurely due to lead exposure.
That's why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at ZERO. But we are far from that goal in our country.
The EPA under the Biden Administration rolled out new rules giving states 10 years to replace lead pipes—but that's too long to wait. Demand the EPA speed up the timeline for states to remove lead pipes from their water supply lines and demand clean water for all!
Why is this important?
It is unacceptable that in the 10 years after lead contaminated water was discovered in Flint, Michigan—exposing millions of people to serious illness—the city still hasn't replaced the lead pipes that caused the crisis. But this isn't just an issue in Flint. Though the use of new lead pipes have been banned since the 1980s, it's estimated that there are 9.2 million lead pipes used in public water service lines across the country.
Even just a tiny amount of lead can cause serious, lifelong damage to those exposed. Lead contamination in children is associated with learning and behavioral issues and long-term exposure can result in lifelong disabilities. And for adults, lead exposure is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function and even cancer.
This is about more than just clean drinking water—it's about environmental justice. In Flint—a city with a majority Black and working class population—the water crisis has shown how easily government mismanagement can expose marginalized communities to environmental hazards.