Lead Water Contamination in Newark: Effects and Policy Response

Introduction

According to state-released figures, the levels of lead in drinking water in Newark have never been as high as they are now in 17 years. This may be partly attributable to lead's unique physical properties — including malleability, softness, resistance to corrosion, poor conductibility, and ductility — which make it difficult for industrialists to abandon its use. Lead is employed in various processes, including the manufacture of pipes, fuels, and paint. Despite its industrial usefulness, lead is highly harmful to the environment and to human health (Sol, 2019). Because lead is non-biodegradable, when it is released into the environment it accumulates over time, progressively intensifying its hazardous effects (Wani et al., 2015). Once it enters the body — whether through drinking water or direct contact — lead negatively affects nearly all organ systems.

The elevated levels of lead in Newark's drinking water have elicited strong reactions from residents and advocacy organizations alike. One organization at the forefront of this issue is the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which, together with the Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus), has filed a lawsuit against the city (Sol, 2019). Despite this legal pressure, local municipal officials continued to refute the claims, even after more than ten percent of water samples collected in 2018 were found to contain more than 15.8 parts per billion — exceeding the federal lead action level of 15.0 parts per billion (Muoio & Sam, 2018).

This paper examines the effects of lead-contaminated drinking water on Newark residents, with particular attention to young children and pregnant women. It also surveys current mitigation efforts and analyzes how Bill A676 (environment–water supply) is relevant to addressing the crisis.

Causes of Lead-Contaminated Water in Newark

Municipal officials note that while Newark owns the water mains, it does not own or control the service lines that connect individual homes to the city water supply. The lead in the water originates from the dissolution of lead within these private pipes. Because the leaching occurs in pipes the city does not own, Newark has maintained that it bears no direct responsibility for the lead situation. Furthermore, since private enterprises own the pipes, any corrective measures require extensive cooperation between private citizens and the state (Sol, 2019).

An additional contributing factor is the city's effort — begun around 2012 — to lower the pH level of its water in order to reduce cancer-causing agents. This change in water chemistry may have significantly increased the rate at which lead leaches from the pipes, inadvertently worsening the contamination problem.

Health Effects of Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water

The populations most at risk from lead-saturated drinking water are young children and pregnant women. Some of the resulting health effects are irreversible, posing long-term developmental risks — particularly regarding brain development in children. This heightened vulnerability stems from the higher rate at which pregnant women and children absorb lead relative to adults. While adults typically absorb only 3 to 10 percent of an oral dose of water-soluble lead, children absorb 40 to 50 percent (Kiefer, 2018).

The risk to infants is especially acute. Among children exposed to lead through reconstituted formula, tap water accounts for more than 85 percent of total lead exposure. Lead is also an abortifacient and has been linked to fetal deaths and extremely low birth weight (Layden, 2018). For these reasons, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend routine blood lead level screening among high-risk populations. Children enrolled in Medicaid should be tested at ages one and two, the periods during which a child is most vulnerable to lead poisoning from household sources — including tap water, dust, soil, or peeling paint (Hanna-Attisha et al., 2016).

The issue of lead exposure in Newark is illustrated by the experience of one family: John, his wife Ms. Feinberg, and their son Theo. Having lived in Newark until 2016, Theo's blood lead level was measured at 6.6 micrograms per deciliter at age five — above the CDC's reference value of 5 micrograms per deciliter for children of that age. The family immediately stopped consuming tap water. When Theo's blood lead level was retested three months after the family relocated to another neighborhood, it had dropped by half. Although the family found this reassuring, Theo was later diagnosed with ADHD and autism. While the family does not believe lead was the primary cause of these diagnoses, they believe elevated lead levels worsened his symptoms (Sol, 2019).

Beyond developmental effects, there is an increased incidence of anemia among Newark residents who consume municipal water. Lead disrupts the activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, an enzyme essential to heme biosynthesis. Heme is the iron-containing cofactor present in hemoglobin, and its impaired production leads to anemia. Lead's interference has been shown to cause the buildup of heme precursors such as aminolevulinic acid (Wani et al., 2015).

Mitigation Efforts and City Response

As a measure to combat the lead problem, the city of Newark now provides residents with free lead testing services. This program has helped more people become aware of their level of exposure and take steps to limit adverse health effects. The program also includes the provision of free water filters, which thousands of Newark households have utilized since the initiative launched on October 12, 2018. The program's greatest benefit has been raising public awareness and providing the city with a larger data sample for assessing the scale of the problem (Kiefer, 2018).

Because the city offers free testing to anyone who suspects their service line may be contaminated, exposure risks have been reduced as residents quickly stop using affected water. Newark has also committed to assisting property owners in identifying and replacing contaminated service lines (Sax, 2018).

In addition to testing, residents can call the city directly to find out whether their service lines are contaminated. All residents need to do is dial a dedicated phone number made available by the city. The city also requires water systems to test their service lines for copper and lead levels every two years — an increase from the previous three-year requirement prior to 2017. Newark follows the federal government's guidelines, which set an action level of 15 parts per billion at the 90th percentile for drinking water. When more than one in ten samples exceeds this threshold, the city is required to conduct additional research, inform the public, and implement corrective measures. In cases where the underlying cause cannot be remedied, pipes are removed or water chemistry is adjusted (Panico, 2019).

The state is also implementing more effective corrosion control inhibitors at the treatment plant. The initial application of these chemicals is expected to take approximately six months to reduce pipe leaching effectively. A significant challenge, however, is that many of the affected pipes are private property, making pipe replacement a lengthy and cooperative undertaking that could take up to eight years. To support this effort, Democratic representatives Cleopatra Tucker and Eliana Pintor Marin introduced a bill that authorized a $75 million bond program to help private property owners replace their pipes (Sax, 2018).

Conclusion and Recommendations

The DEP is required to provide any necessary technical information so that institutions can properly carry out the mandated tests. The bill further requires that every institution post test results on its official website within 30 days of completion. Information to be posted must include any remedial actions the institution is taking or planning to take to address elevated lead levels (Jasey, 2019). These requirements would be highly valuable in helping Newark reduce its lead contamination problem, which has caused serious harm to the community and increased healthcare costs for residents who have consumed lead-contaminated water.

There is an urgent need for this bill to be fully enforced. Each test must be conducted by a certified laboratory in accordance with best industry practices and the transparency standards appropriate for a matter of such significant public interest. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have established guidelines governing how such tests should be carried out. The bill specifies that when a test reveals elevated lead levels, the educational institution must immediately close off access to the affected outlets and report the results to the DEP (Jasey, 2019).

With the enactment and enforcement of this bill, the significant challenge Newark residents face could be substantially addressed through the systematic replacement of lead pipes contributing to water contamination. The cost of replacing those pipes cannot be compared to the long-term harm inflicted on children, who represent the future of this community and this nation.

References

Hanna-Attisha, M., LaChance, J., Sadler, R. C., & Champney Schnepp, A. (2016). Elevated blood lead levels in children associated with the Flint drinking water crisis: a spatial analysis of risk and public health response. American Journal of Public Health, 106(2), 283–290.

Jasey, N. (2019). Assembly Higher Education Hearing (19:00 1/17/2019 A-4866).

Kiefer, E. (2018). Newark hands out thousands of lead water filters after lawsuit. Patch.

Layden, L. (2018). A water crisis in Newark brings new worries. The New York Times.

Muoio, D., & Sam, S. (2018). Tests revealed high levels of lead in Newark's water in 2015, study finds. Politico.

Panico, R. (2019). Newark exceeds lead levels again, receives 3 other water violations. TAPinto Newark.

Sax, S. (2018). How Newark got lead in its water, and what it means for the rest of America. Vice News.

Sol, M. W. (2019). The lead in Newark's drinking water has hit a 'jaw-dropping' high level, tests show. NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.

Wani, A. L., Ara, A., & Usmani, J. A. (2015). Lead toxicity: a review. Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 8(2), 55–64.