DC WASA and Lead in Drinking Water: A Case Study
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2007: Restoring Our Natural Habitat
Abstract
In 2001, following a change in disinfection agent in anticipation of the EPA Disinfection Byproduct Rule, lead levels began rising in drinking water in Washington, DC, and in 2002 the DC Water and Sewer Authority was found to have exceeded the EPA lead action level, requiring compliance with a series of measures under the Lead and Copper Rule. In 2004, the issue became a public concern, drawing considerable media attention. The problem was eventually resolved through the application of orthophosphate but while it played out the utility was forced to respond to a novel public health issue with constrained risk management options. In order to evaluate the public health implications of the exceedance, the DC Department of Health expanded the scope of its monitoring programs for blood lead levels in children. Children from 6 months to 6 years of age constituted 2,342 of those tested; 65 had blood lead levels above 10 μg/dL (the "level of concern" defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the highest with a level of 68 μg/dL. The majority were attributed to lead paint found in houses. There was no correlation in children with documented paired values between blood lead and lead in water. This study cannot be used to correlate lead in drinking water with blood lead levels directly because it is based on an ecological rather than individualized exposure assessment, the protocol for measuring lead is based on regulatory requirements rather than intake, numerous interventions were introduced to mitigate the effect, and the period of exposure spanned approximately two years rather than lifetimes for adults. We examine lessons learned, including issues of simultaneous compliance, public health risk management, and risk communication.
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© 2007 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published online: Apr 26, 2012
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