Last week, the
Academy of Natural Sciences hosted "What’s in Our Water?," a free town square discussion and expert Q&A for Philadelphians wondering about the quality of their drinking water after harmful lead levels in
Newark, New Jersey and
Flint, Michigan made headlines.
David Velinsky, Academy vice president of the
Patrick Center for Environmental Research, led the presentation. He introduced Debra McCarty, commissioner of the
Philadelphia Water Department; Lynn Thorp, the national campaigns director for
Clean Water Action; and Dr. Jerry Fagliano, chair of the
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health.
Velinsky touched on the source of Philly’s drinking water: the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, and the history of human use of lead in urban and residential infrastructure and industrial products, from Roman aqueducts to batteries to lead paint and leaded gasoline.
In the 1970s, lead in paint and gasoline accounted for relatively high blood lead levels in the first ever large-scale American survey. According to Fagliano, back then, the average child had a blood lead level of 15 micrograms per deciliter. Now, it’s less than two micrograms per deciliter, thanks to sweeping federal legislation to keep lead out of our homes and fuel.
"Lead is a potent neurotoxin," especially for young people, he explained.
"Water is not the primary source of lead for children," added McCarty: It’s dust and paint from houses built before 1978. There is no lead in any of Philly’s 3,200 miles of water mains. But on the private side, PWD estimates that about 10 percent of Philly homes have lead service lines from the water main to the house. This is likely only in unrenovated homes built before 1950. These homes may also have lead in old plumbing pipes, soldering or fixtures.
PWD works with any concerned client to test, monitor and offer affordable fixes for elevated lead levels that come from private plumbing.
McCarty said those worried about lead in their pipes can simply make sure to run the tap for a few minutes before drinking the water, which flushes out any liquid that might have been sitting in the plumbing lines for more than a few hours. The City also has a program offering zero-interest loans to customers who want to replace private-property lead pipes. PWD has a
dedicated webpage for lead inquiries as well as a phone hotline: 215-685-6300.
"Flint is an incredible tragedy in many, many ways," said McCarty as she explained why the same scenario will never happen in Philly. For example, Flint officials changed the source of the water itself, with none of the anti-corrosion treatments residential pipes in Philly have, and did not comply with EPA standards for sampling and reporting lead and copper levels.
"Treatment decisions are always made on the best science," she insisted.
Writer: Alaina Mabaso
Sources: David Velinsky, the Academy of Natural Sciences; Debra McCarty, the Philadelphia Water Department