Chicago needs time to get the lead out. But 50 years?

City needs to speed up plan to removal harmful lead from its drinking water.

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Editorials

June 3, 2021 - 10:07 AM

Kyle McCradic, a laborer with J.C. Dillon Inc., wraps up the old lead piping from a home in Galesburg, Ill., on March 4, 2021. A new water line, called a polyethylene tubing, was installed. Photo by Jose M. Osorio/TNS

Because even tiny amounts of lead can harm the brain, every day that lead finds its way into the drinking water of households is a day that could damage children who live in Chicago homes with lead service lines.

So imagine if those days turned into years. In fact, imagine if some homes in the city weren’t slated to get their lead-lined water supply lines replaced for 50 years. The cumulative harm could be serious.

That’s why there’s a major flaw in new Illinois legislation that would require the removal of lead service lines across the state.

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