Is there lead in there?

Chicago has long been known to have an issue with lead contamination, though many residents may be unaware. In 2011 and 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Illinois conducted a study on field sampling protocols for lead in drinking water. The agency concluded that existing sampling protocols underestimated lead corrosion and levels in drinking water at sites with lead service lines.

Nearly a decade later, an investigation by Guardian journalists found that 1,000 of a sample of 24,000 home water tests were above the EPA's limit for lead. Residents conducted these tests of their tap water and sent them to the city for analysis. The raw results were then published on the website of the Department of Water Management (DWM), with the latest reported in 2022.

The EPA limits lead in municipal drinking water to 15 parts per billion but has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero parts per billion, as lead can be harmful even at low exposure levels.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adverse health effects of lead in drinking water include damage to the kidneys and nervous system. Young children are particularly at risk, as their developing bodies absorb lead more easily than those of adults.

Chicago-area residents concerned about lead exposure can apply an array of solutions, from filters to water tests, to address the contamination caused by lead leaching from the service lines that link home faucets to municipal mains.

Service lines run external to the house, but other sources of lead can include pipes, fixtures, and plumbing within the walls of the home.

"In terms of water, using a filter National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certified for lead can make a huge difference," said Patrick MacRoy, principal director of environmental health and water programs at Elevate, a nonprofit working to remove lead plumbing from day care centers across Chicago.

NSF is an independent public health organization that maintains a list of water filtration products that have been tested and certified to reduce lead.

To ensure that a drinking water filter reduces lead, consumers should check if it is listed as a contaminant the device can reduce, and if it is certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 58 standards. These certifications are decided by the NSF and American National Standards Institute (ANSI), organizations that jointly determine a filter's ability to exclusively filter out specific contaminants. NSF/ANSI 53 is an industry-level standard, while NSF/ANSI 58 specifically applies to reverse osmosis systems.

Only products tested and certified by an independent third party can claim they are "certified" and meet the requirements of the standards. Consumers are encouraged to call or email NSF's consumer information officer with questions about NSF certification and certified products.

"One should use the filtered water for both cooking and drinking, and make sure to change the filters as recommended by the manufacturer," said MacRoy. "There are both plumbed-in and pour-through filters certified to remove lead."

The list maintained by NSF includes both options.

Some residents may be inclined to boil their water to reduce contaminants. According to MacRoy, boiling does not remove lead; rather, it concentrates it. Boiling is a solution if organic contaminants such as E. coli bacteria are believed to be a potential problem.

"As a general rule, you also want to only use the cold water tap for cooking and drinking" in order to lower lead levels, MacRoy said.

The City of Chicago offers free solutions as well. The DWM launched a water quality study in 2016 to investigate the impact of water main construction on residential lead levels.

Any concerned resident may call 311 or fill out a form on DWM's website to request a free water test kit. Those who prefer to have a trained technician complete the test may instead request a "water lead test visit."

"However, it's important to recognize that you may not be able to see all the leaded components, and testing may not capture the problem in all situations," said MacRoy.

Filtration is important for this reason alone. The city also provides residents with NSF-certified filter sets consisting of a water pitcher and six cartridges.

Any household that received a city water meter, those that received high testing results, and those otherwise notified by the DWM are eligible for a water filter, according to the DWM website. Otherwise, residents can input their address online to see if they qualify for a free filter set.

"Any home that tests over 15 ppb [parts per billion]—the standard to which municipal water systems are held—receives a free follow-up visit from a DWM team consisting of an electrician, plumber, and sanitary engineer to make custom recommendations about mitigating lead levels," said Megan Vidis, spokesperson for the department.

While the EPA and CDC acknowledge that there is "no known safe level of lead in a child's blood," the 15 ppb measure set by the EPA "lead and copper rule" serves as a benchmark for municipal water systems.

If more than 10 percent of a sample of customer taps measure above the action level, the city is responsible for replacing municipal service lines in the community, as per EPA regulations.

"Additionally, homes testing above 15 ppb receive free filter sets and are prioritized in the Equity Lead Service Line Replacement Program if they are income qualified," Vidis said.

Homeowners are encouraged to enter their address on the Lead-Safe Chicago website to see if they qualify for a free residential service line replacement. One requirement is that a household must fall below 80 percent of the area median income. This means a household income under $88,250 for a family of four and under $61,800 for an individual.

Despite the generous allowance in terms of income, replacement of service lines through city-sponsored programs has been slow. According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, only 280 homeowners have had a lead service line replaced out of an estimated 390,000 service lines over the past two years.

Illinois state senator Javier Loera Cervantes recently announced additional grants awarded to 48 at-risk communities through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. His district serves parts of the south side and several suburbs.

The funding will be used to replace lead pipes and plumbing fixtures not only in low-income households but also in schools and childcare centers.

The DWM have posted a ten-step guide to water treatment on their website.

Residents must submit an application containing information about income and home ownership to determine their eligibility in the city program. If approved, they will be asked to coordinate with a city-supplied contractor before agreeing to construction work.

The contractor will then complete the service line replacement, and a city inspector will review the installation before water management staff connect the new service line to the water main.

Residents must follow instructions to flush their water following the construction work. The DWM also recommends using filters that are NSF-53 certified for at least the subsequent three months.

Homeowners whose service lines have been replaced are eligible to receive free follow-up lead testing of their water by calling 311 or visiting the DWM website.

Gina Ramirez, midwest outreach manager at the National Resources Defense Council, spoke to the importance of continuous water quality monitoring.

"Those [EPA] action levels don't mean anything to me as a mom of a son who has autism," said Ramirez. "We know that there's no safe level of lead."

Ramirez, who is also a senior advisor at the Southeast Environmental Task Force and a member of the Chicago Environmental Justice Network, stressed that the risks of lead contamination are often overlooked in the broader scope of environmental justice.

"Any time I care to bring up water lead contamination, [people] are like, ‘But it's not as bad as lead paint’ or other environmental justice issues like air pollution," said Ramirez.

"We need to work together instead of pitting each other against each other because, at the end of the day, we should not be drinking anything with lead in it."