Carla Campbell: Make sure water is safe and healthy
At this point, most Americans have heard of the dismal failure of environmental authorities and government on the local, state and federal level to prevent the mass poisoning of hundreds of children and adults in Flint, Mich.
This was due to the switch in water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, which was then not treated with an anti-corrosion chemical to prevent lead particles from being released from the inside of water pipes into the pipes and out into the faucet.
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician, performed a study to look at blood lead levels (BLLs) and water lead levels. Her study showed that the level of blood lead levels above 5 µg/dL (a level too high for good health) in a group of Flint children more than doubled between levels collected prior to the change in water source and levels collected after this; the BLLs of children living in the area where the highest water levels were almost three times higher when compared to pre-water change levels.
Most affected by this terrible environmental disaster were mostly poor and African-American people. Unfortunately, poor and minority communities are too often exposed to poisonous chemicals in their neighborhoods; what some people call environmental injustice.
Not only has this incident brought to light the contamination (poisoning of) of Flint’s water system, it raises issues about water supplies to towns, particularly to child care centers and school systems, around the nation. Recent USA Today and New York Times articles give details about places around the nation with too much lead in their water supplies.
Another recent disaster, hitting closer to home in El Paso involving contamination of local water supplies, was that of the contamination of the Animas River in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico by mine waste from the Gold King Mine, leading to too high levels of some metals. The Navajo Nation has recently expressed how inconvenient this poisoning of its drinking water source has been to its tribe. Those of us living in the Southwest desert region, where water is scarce, know the value of having enough clean, safe water for our daily use and lives.
Exposure to lead
Lead is a poisonous heavy metal mined from the earth that has been used for many purposes and by many industries for hundreds of years.
It is found in housing built before 1978 that contains lead-based paint; contaminated water, soil and house dust; leaded gasoline (phased out in the United States in 1976); batteries and electronic devices, such as computers; products used by various Latino and Asian communities such as folk remedies, cosmetics, contaminated foods and spices, lead-glazed cookware (such as Mexican bean pots) and other products; and recently found to contaminate some consumer products, such as children’s toys and lunchboxes, vinyl miniblinds, and other items.
Mexican products that have been contaminated include Mexican candy; the snack food chapulines (dried, seasoned grasshoppers); and Greta, Alarcon, Azarcon, Maria Luisa and other home remedies.
Exposure to lead in children has been linked with lower intelligence quotient (I.Q.) scores; problems with development, attention, and behavior; school problems and school failures; and delinquent, aggressive and criminal behavior. Studies have shown a link with diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in which children can be very active, act on impulse and have trouble organizing their schoolwork.
Lead exposure also has been associated with reproductive problems, such as premature births (which can lead to developmental problems), low birth weight and problems with fertility (ability to father children) in men. Lead readily crosses the placenta during pregnancy, resulting in exposure to the developing baby. Therefore, unborn children in the womb are exposed when their mothers become exposed to lead. Women born outside the United States are at higher risk of having prior lead exposure, often occurring in their native countries.
Check water
If your water is supplied by El Paso Water Utilities, you can check the website or contact the company to get a brochure about its latest water test results, which should include tests for lead, copper and possibly other metals. Information: El Paso Water Utilities, epwu.org, 594-5500.
If you have a private well not tested by a water company, then it is recommended that you arrange to get your well water tested for many things, among them certain bacteria causing diarrhea and some chemicals, including lead. Information: Environmental Protection Agency, epa.gov. 800-426-4791.
Carla Campbell is a visiting clinical associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and interim program director for the Master in Public Health Program at the University of Texas at El Paso; ccampbell3@utep.edu.