Is Lead Pipe Removal In Homes Risky?

There has been conflicting reports that a costly program meant to protect Londoners & Canadians from lead in tap water may instead be placing thousands at risk.

London City Hall each spends more than $750,000 each year to replace lead service lines with copper pipes to bring water to the property lines of older homes. However, many homeowners fore-go that $1,500 cost of removing the lead pipes on their property, instead leaving new copper pipes connected to lead pipes.

This is common throughout Canada, but in the U.S., it has come to a halt!

Research has shown that when sections of lead pipes are replaced, the lead that remains can corrode much faster than a stand alone lead pipe, the rust flaking into tap water.

The US Centers for Disease Control made public to the head of the agency's lead poisoning prevention that where lead pipes were partially replaced, children have higher blood-lead levels than children in homes with full lead pipes.

What amazes me is that it is reported that Canadian officials refuse to screen children for lead exposure while in the U.S.,children are routinely screened for blood-lead levels with the risk being most acute in children & fetuses.

Marc Edwards who presented his findings to the US Congress and engineers of the American Water Works Association states: "I don't think you'd find anybody in the United States who would defend partial as economically sound or providing a health benefit."

As a side note, I read a newspaper article today that thousands of hockey sticks are being replaced because of lead levels! Wow, when I was a kid, a new stick at the end of the season!