On March 5, the House Government Reform Committee held a hearing to discuss recent revelations that there were elevated levels of lead in the drinking water in some homes in the District of Columbia and Arlington County, Virginia. Committee Chair Tom Davis (R-VA) opened the hearing, saying, “I was deeply troubled by reports that thousands of District homes tested above the federal action limit for lead contamination…Lead exposure can have serious, even deadly, health ramifications, especially for young children and pregnant women.”
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) expressed her outrage at the current situation, saying that the problem must be fixed so that residents, visitors, and commuters will not have to ask the same question they ask when they visit developing countries: “Is it safe to drink the water here?” Questioning the actions of the federal and local agencies involved in the matter, she said, “All three agencies seem to be making it up or improvising as they go along…At the very least, the public must get valid, coherent instructions.”
Rep. James Moran (D-VA), a former member of the committee, also expressed his concern about the situation, saying that Arlington County was mounting a “full court press” to address the situation. “We have a very serious problem,” he said, “Something is seriously wrong here.” Noting that “lead is very toxic when it gets into the body,” Rep. Moran pointed out that “it can delay the physical and mental development of children…causing deficits in their attention and learning abilities…In adults, it can lead to strokes, kidney disease, and cancer.”
Benjamin Grumble of the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discussed lead as a health hazard and lead in drinking water. Agreeing that lead exposure is a public health threat, Mr. Grumble said that lead exposure in young children has dramatically decreased over the last few decades, mostly due to a reduction in homes with lead-based paint. “As important as lead is in drinking water, lead-based paint is a higher concern and that is where most of the exposure comes from,” he said.
Mr. Grumble attempted to reassure members of the committee, saying, “Lead in drinking water is not a national crisis,” and that “lead is generally not introduced into water through the source supply.” He said that generally the key focus of lead exposure in drinking water is lead pipes and other aspects of the water infrastructure and the combination of chemicals in the water.
Mr. Donald Welch, regional administrator for the EPA, agreed that it “was unacceptable that pregnant women and children” should fear drinking their water, but he called the recommendation that pregnant women and children refrain from drinking the water a “prudent and wise action.” He said that the EPA was working to improve outreach efforts, noting that the EPA has published guidelines for citizens with lead in their water. In hindsight, he said, “The EPA should have better assessed WASA’s [DC Water and Sewer Authority] response…We must learn from the past, but I am focused on strategies that will move us forward.”
Tom Jacobus, general manager of the Washington Aqueduct, said that water sent from the aqueduct meets all EPA standards and regulations. “We have not found any lead leaching,” adding, “We are committed to move quickly and safely to correct a problem that appears to be a problem of corrosivity,” he said.
Responding to criticisms about his agency’s response to the crisis, Glenn Gerstell of WASA said, “Providing safe and clean drinking water to our community is of the utmost priority.” He told the committee that WASA believes it has complied with all federal regulations and that the agency “did not deliberately sit on any information.” While admitting that “in retrospect, there was clearly room for improvement in our public education campaign,” Mr. Gerstell said, “We did communicate directly with customers and that was the responsible thing to do.” He said that WASA has donated water filters to homes with pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under the age of six, and has stepped up efforts to communicate with customers.
Dr. Ellen Silbergeld of The Johns Hopkins University spoke to the health effects of lead exposure. Pointing out that most people focus on the harmful effects in children, she said, “Lead exposures are also highly toxic to adults.” Adding that the risks are particularly important for women, Dr. Silbergeld said that studies have found an associated risk of clinical increase in hypertension among women exposed to lead. Noting the high toxicity of lead in fetuses and children, she said, “Treating children after exposure does not reverse the neurotoxic effects,” stressing, “The toxic risks of lead can only be prevented by preventing exposure.”
