Comments on: Lead In D.C.’s Drinking Water http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/ Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:13:03 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Elements Abound In D.C. at C&ENtral Science http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-36219 Elements Abound In D.C. at C&ENtral Science Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:27:44 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-36219 [...] I thought this area should have tons of elementally named towns, what with all the science that goes on here. Maybe we can convince some towns to change their names for the International Year of Chemistry 2011? I’m thinking “Radon, District of Columbia” has a nice ring to it (especially as we’re ringing out Radon Action Month). Or maybe “Lead,” to go with all the contamination we have in our soil and water. [...] [...] I thought this area should have tons of elementally named towns, what with all the science that goes on here. Maybe we can convince some towns to change their names for the International Year of Chemistry 2011? I’m thinking “Radon, District of Columbia” has a nice ring to it (especially as we’re ringing out Radon Action Month). Or maybe “Lead,” to go with all the contamination we have in our soil and water. [...]

]]> By: Kenneth Sarch http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-20279 Kenneth Sarch Thu, 07 May 2009 21:14:56 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-20279 If anyone doubts the damage that lead poisonong can cause, the recent finding that most of Beethoven's maladies: bowel problems, deafness, behavioral problems, many other symptoms I am not qualified to report - were not symptons of a sexually transmitted disease, but LEAD POISONING! Evidently tests were performed recently on a sample of Beethoven's hair to determine this. If it were my child in DC, I would demand to know why this water-crisis was kept from the public for three years. Whoever was responsible is akin to feeding poison to thousands of children. If anyone doubts the damage that lead poisonong can cause, the recent finding that most of Beethoven’s maladies: bowel problems, deafness, behavioral problems, many other symptoms I am not qualified to report – were not symptons of a sexually transmitted disease, but LEAD POISONING! Evidently tests were performed recently on a sample of Beethoven’s hair to determine this. If it were my child in DC, I would demand to know why this water-crisis was kept from the public for three years. Whoever was responsible is akin to feeding poison to thousands of children.

]]> By: Rebecca Renner http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11924 Rebecca Renner Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:30:47 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11924 Hi Yanna, Sorry it took me a while to find out about this. The features and news should be free. Apparently when a new computer system was installed, it caused this glitch and it is being fixed (you can tell I don't know much about this). I will ask to see if perhaps i could just post Mis-lead to this blog as an interim measure. Hi Yanna,

Sorry it took me a while to find out about this. The features and news should be free. Apparently when a new computer system was installed, it caused this glitch and it is being fixed (you can tell I don’t know much about this). I will ask to see if perhaps i could just post Mis-lead to this blog as an interim measure.

]]> By: Yanna Lambrinidou http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11684 Yanna Lambrinidou Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:20:53 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11684 Thanks so much Becky. I am in the middle of an e-mail exchange about lead in water with the DC government and I want to send them your Mis-Lead piece, because it addresses some of the issues we are discussing. It would be very nice if it were still accessible online, because it offers information with direct applicability to the situation in front of us right now. I look forward to hearing what you find out. Best, Yanna Thanks so much Becky. I am in the middle of an e-mail exchange about lead in water with the DC government and I want to send them your Mis-Lead piece, because it addresses some of the issues we are discussing. It would be very nice if it were still accessible online, because it offers information with direct applicability to the situation in front of us right now. I look forward to hearing what you find out. Best, Yanna

]]> By: Rebecca Renner http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11663 Rebecca Renner Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:37:40 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11663 Hi Yanna, I've just tried to look them up and I see what you mean. I'll look into this and get back to you. Hi Yanna,

I’ve just tried to look them up and I see what you mean. I’ll look into this and get back to you.

]]> By: Yanna Lambrinidou http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11659 Yanna Lambrinidou Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:37:57 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11659 Hi Becky, I'm doing research on DC's lead-in-water story and I'm having a hard time accessing two of your ES&T news articles that used to be online: one is Mis-Lead and the other is about the health effects of lead in DC water in 2001-2004 (it focuses on the risk assessments controversy). Do you know why? What's the best way to obtain them again? Thanks, Yanna Hi Becky,

I’m doing research on DC’s lead-in-water story and I’m having a hard time accessing two of your ES&T news articles that used to be online: one is Mis-Lead and the other is about the health effects of lead in DC water in 2001-2004 (it focuses on the risk assessments controversy). Do you know why? What’s the best way to obtain them again?

Thanks,

Yanna

]]> By: Rebecca Renner http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11620 Rebecca Renner Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:43:41 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11620 Dear Lalie, I am very sorry that you are living through this uncertainty, worry and frustration --- at least those are the emotions I would feel. I took the liberty of forwarding your question to environmental engineer Marc Edwards because I don't know enough to answer this. Here is his reply: "We currently do not know how the distance from the treatment plant affected lead leaching in D.C. from 2001-2004, or from 2004-present for that matter. We will soon publish a paper that shows in some systems, the worst problems with chloramine arise furthest from the treatment plant. So if that applied to your situation, you would not be worse off, and perhaps even better off, than the rest of DC." Dear Lalie,

I am very sorry that you are living through this uncertainty, worry and frustration — at least those are the emotions I would feel. I took the liberty of forwarding your question to environmental engineer Marc Edwards because I don’t know enough to answer this. Here is his reply:

“We currently do not know how the distance from the treatment plant affected
lead leaching in D.C. from 2001-2004, or from 2004-present for that matter. We
will soon publish a paper that shows in some systems, the worst problems with
chloramine arise furthest from the treatment plant. So if that applied to your
situation, you would not be worse off, and perhaps even better off, than the
rest of DC.”

]]> By: Lalie Tongour http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11619 Lalie Tongour Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:51:44 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11619 We live near the DC reservoir. My neighborhood was developed in the late 1930s-1950s (my own home was built in 1937.) The city is currently replacing lead pipe lines down the street. My question is does the proximity to the water's treatment (and maybe the potency of the chemicals in the water) increase the level of lead leaching if there is significant lead piping? Thank you for your sharing your knowledge of this subject. This research is very important to me as I have three children born between 2000-2004. We live near the DC reservoir. My neighborhood was developed in the late 1930s-1950s (my own home was built in 1937.) The city is currently replacing lead pipe lines down the street. My question is does the proximity to the water’s treatment (and maybe the potency of the chemicals in the water) increase the level of lead leaching if there is significant lead piping?

Thank you for your sharing your knowledge of this subject. This research is very important to me as I have three children born between 2000-2004.

]]> By: Rebecca Renner http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11481 Rebecca Renner Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:55:14 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11481 Hi Shirley, This is a very good question. There is very strong evidence, from relatively recent studies in Glasgow and other areas, that old lead pipes are still a significant contributor to elevated blood lead. Here is one of the studies: Watt, G.C.M.; Britton, A.; Gilmour, H. G.; Moore, M. R.; Murray, G. D.; Robertson, S. J. Public health implications of new guidelines for lead in drinking water: A case study in an area with historically high water lead levels. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2000, 38, 73–79. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6P-3YS980G-T&_user=513551&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000025338&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=513551&md5=6faf7b9b5fe8de23b9c2c1cc11117688 Hi Shirley, This is a very good question. There is very strong evidence, from relatively recent studies in Glasgow and other areas, that old lead pipes are still a significant contributor to elevated blood lead.

Here is one of the studies:
Watt, G.C.M.; Britton, A.; Gilmour, H. G.; Moore, M. R.; Murray, G. D.; Robertson, S. J. Public health implications of new guidelines for lead in drinking water: A case study in an area with historically high water lead levels. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2000, 38, 73–79.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6P-3YS980G-T&_user=513551&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000025338&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=513551&md5=6faf7b9b5fe8de23b9c2c1cc11117688

]]> By: Shirley Emms http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/comment-page-1/#comment-11469 Shirley Emms Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:25:54 +0000 http://cenblog.org/2009/01/27/lead-in-dc%e2%80%99s-drinking-water/#comment-11469 I have been reading with interest and sadness regarding the recently published article on D C water contamination.I live in England where our pipe lines are in the main lead. A huge proportion of our houses would pre date1987 .Is there any evidence that the same problem is here in the U K ? I have been reading with interest and sadness regarding the recently published article on D C water contamination.I live in England where our pipe lines are in the main lead. A huge proportion of our houses would pre date1987 .Is there any evidence that the same problem is here in the U K ?

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