Weaknesses in Federal Drinking Water Regulations and Public Health Policies that Impede Lead Poisoning Prevention and Environmental Justice

The failure of the regulatory community to protect the residents of Flint, Michigan, from prolonged exposure to hazardous levels of lead in their drinking water has drawn public attention to long-acknowledged weaknesses in the implementation and oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). This rule defines the roles and responsibilities of water utilities in reducing consumer exposures to lead-in-water hazards. Despite this regulation, water-related lead poisoning cases have been documented in cities determined to be in regulatory compliance. This article presents preliminary results from an ongoing study that documents gaps and weaknesses in the rule and its implementation, oversight, and enforcement. We detail how the original intent of the LCR to protect public health has been undermined by inadequate lead-in-water monitoring and public education, as well as weak regulatory oversight and enforcement. We summarize how these issues contributed to the Flint debacle and are still being perpetuated today in other municipalities. Finally, we discuss how these factors may be thwarting the prevention of childhood lead poisoning in the United States, and contributing to disproportionate environmental burdens on low-income communities. This review is timely, in that it may prompt public involvement in the U.S. EPA's ongoing review and revision of the LCR.