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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 5 November 2019

Investigation: Lead in some Canadian water worse than Flint

By MARTHA MENDOZA more than 700 Freedom of than 90 people. The Flint
Associated Press Information requests and crisis sparked congressional
MONTREAL (AP) — Hun- took hundreds of samples hearings, lawsuits and scru-
dreds of thousands of Ca- in people's homes to as- tiny of lead testing across
nadians have been unwit- semble 79,000 water test the country. Now officials
tingly exposed to high lev- results. But the findings are in Newark, New Jersey,
els of lead in their drinking neither comprehensive are scrambling to replace
water, with contamination nor an indication of over- about 18,000 lead lines and
in several cities consistently all drinking water quality in other communities are also
higher than they ever were Canada. That doesn't exist. responding.
in Flint, Michigan, accord- "Because there is no fed- Virginia Tech professor
ing to an investigation that eral oversight, everybody Marc Edwards, whose study
tested drinking water in In this July 21, 2019 photo, Florabela Cunha fills a glass of water does what they want," of the Flint water system
hundreds of homes and from her kitchen faucet in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, said engineering professor helped reveal the danger-
reviewed thousands more Canada. Michèle Prévost, who quit ous lead levels, reviewed
previously undisclosed re- Associated Press working on a government the Canadian media con-
sults. guideline of 5 parts per bil- 28 ppb, Keddie said he was study of school drinking sortium's findings.
Residents in some homes in lion; 18% exceeded the U.S. "concerned enough that water in frustration over the "This is a significant health
Montreal, a cosmopolitan limit of 15 ppb. we won't be drinking and lack of lead testing. "Most concern, people should be
city an hour north of the In a country that touts its using this water." provinces ignore this very warned," said Edwards.
U.S.-Canada border, and clean, natural turquoise Leona Peterson learned of serious problem." In Canada, where provinc-
Regina, in the flat western lakes, sparkling springs and the contamination in her The government's ap- es — not the federal gov-
prairies, are among those rushing rivers, there are no water after journalists found proach to limiting lead in ernment — set water safety
drinking and cooking with national mandates to test excessively high lead levels drinking water in Canada rules, the main source of
tap water with lead levels drinking water for lead. And in 21 of 25 homes tested in is starkly different from the lead in drinking water is an-
that exceed Canada's fed- even if agencies do take a her small, northwest port U.S., where under federal tiquated pipes. At one gov-
eral guidelines. The investi- sample, residents are rarely town of Prince Rupert. Pe- law every person is sup- ernment hearing, an expert
gation found some schools informed of contamination. terson, who lives in sub- posed to receive an an- estimated some 500,000
and daycares had lead "I'm surprised," said Bruce sidized housing for Indig- nual report from their water lead service lines are still
levels so high that research- Lanphear, a leading Cana- enous people, had water provider detailing lead test delivering water to people
ers noted it could impact dian water safety research- that registered at 15.6 ppb. results. in the country. Many cit-
children's health. Exacer- er. "These are quite high "I was drinking from the tap, "If that's not public, that's a ies are starting to replace
bating the problem, many given the kind of attention directly from the tap, with- problem," said Tom Neltner them.
water providers aren't test- that has been given to Flint, out any knowledge that at the Environmental De- Several short-term solutions
ing at all. Michigan, as having such there was lead in the wa- fense Fund, a U.S.-based include having suppliers
It wasn't the Canadian gov- extreme problems." ter," said Peterson. Her son environmental group. add anti-corrosives or al-
ernment that exposed the Many Canadians who was as well. "Where you have transpar- tering water chemistry so
scope of this public health had allowed journalists to Canadian officials where ency you have advocacy, it's less likely to leach lead
concern. sample their water were levels were high said they and where you have advo- from the insides of pipes.
A yearlong investigation troubled when they came were aware that lead pipes cacy you have action." Even low levels of lead ex-
by more than 120 journal- back with potentially dan- can contaminate drinking In the U.S. however, even posure can affect a child's
ists from nine universities gerous lead levels. water and that they were public water quality reports IQ and their ability to pay
and 10 media organiza- "It's a little bit disturbing to working to replace aging weren't enough to prevent attention. Children who
tions, including The Associ- see that there's that much," infrastructure. the Flint, Michigan, drinking are younger than 7 and
ated Press and the Institute said Andrew Keddie, a Montreal Mayor Valé- water crisis, brought on by pregnant women are most
for Investigative Journalism retired professor who as- rie Plante vowed to test a 2014 decision to tempo- at risk from lead exposure,
at Concordia University in sumed his water was clean 100,000 homes for lead and rarily pull water from a river which can damage brains
Montreal, collected test after replacing pipes years speed up replacement of as a cost saver. But Flint's and kidneys.
results that properly mea- ago at his home in Edmon- lead-lined pipes immedi- water problems went well Yet the consortium's inves-
sure exposure to lead in 11 ton. What he couldn't do ately after journalists sent beyond lead: excessive tigation found Canada's
cities across Canada. Out is replace public service her an analysis of the city's microbes led to a Legion- daycares and schools are
of 12,000 tests since 2014, lines delivering water to his internal data revealing high naires' disease outbreak not tested regularly. And
one-third — 33% — ex- house. After learning his lead levels across the city. that caused at least 12 when they are tested, those
ceeded the national safety water lead levels tested at The media consortium filed deaths and sickened more results are also not public.q