(NewsNation) — Nearly 130,000 Chicago children under the age of 6 are exposed to lead in their household drinking water due to lead pipes, according to a new study.
The study, published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that Black and Latino populations were less likely to be tested for lead but also disproportionately exposed to contaminated drinking water.
Additionally, 68% of children 6 and under in Chicago have been exposed to lead-contaminated drinking water — 19% of those children use unfiltered tap water as their primary source of drinking water, according to the study.
Black and Latino households disproportionately drink bottled water, while white households disproportionately drink tap water, according to the study. However, the study emphasized that bottled water is not necessarily less contaminated with lead than tap water, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets the limit for lead concentration in bottled water at 5 ppb. The study also found that using filtered tap water doesn’t necessarily prevent lead exposure either.
“The racial and ethnic disparities present are indicative of the myriad ways environmental racism can manifest. Lower screening rates, lower consumption of tap water, and higher levels of lead exposure among predominantly Black and Hispanic blocks may indicate mistrust toward water sources or lack of community engagement from relevant authorities,” the study authors wrote. “Neighborhoods with high-risk estimates as well as low screening rates were largely clustered in the South and West sides of the city, corresponding to the city’s geographic history of segregation and disinvestment.”
Researchers analyzed more than 38,300 home water tests provided by the Chicago Department of Water Management from January 2016 through September 2023. They also tested neighborhood demographics, state blood samples and several other factors.
The study warned that increased blood lead levels in children can cause cognitive development deficits and other health hazards.
The city of Chicago says lead testing in the city shows water meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
In November, Illinois and Chicago announced the dispersal of $336 million to aid in the removal of lead service lines across the city.
