First Flint, Now Newark…Could Lead Contamination Become a National Crisis?

Tom Johnson, co-founder and energy writer at NJ Spotlight, and Mae Wu, an attorney in the Health and Environment Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington. D.C., discuss the elevated levels of lead discovered in drinking water at Newark Public Schools and explores whether this could be a growing problem across the country as lead contamination in Newark follows the ongoing problems in Flint, Michigan.

Wu suggested that anyone who lives in an old building test their drinking water or purchase filters that protect against lead in drinking water, because of the prevalence of aging lead pipes in these structures.  

One listener on Twitter asked whether lead in water is a concern for adults? Wu said lead contamination is mostly harmful to young children, because it has an impact on development.