But Flint certainly isn't the only case of contaminated water in the U.S. In July 2016, many residents of Pittsburgh were shocked when they were notified by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewage Authority that their tap water contained 22 parts per billion of lead. That's 1.5 times higher than the legal limit.
In Milwaukee, the health commissioner resigned in December 2017 because his agency didn't notify the city's families whose children tested positive for elevated levels of lead.
And people living in Brady, Texas are dealing with radium in their tap water. And not just unacceptable levels — levels nine times higher than legally allowed.
In April 2018, the Chicago Tribune published a story after it conducted an analysis of water samples taken from 2,797 homes across the city during a two-year period. It revealed that nearly 70 percent of the samples were contaminated with lead at more than 5 parts per billion, the maximum allowed in bottled water by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Chicago's tap water comes from Lake Michigan, which is free of lead until right before it arrives in the tap. The contamination in Chicago water comes from lead service lines, which connect individual residences to the main water system. According to city code, homeowners can opt to have these lines replaced but at their own expense. When reached for comment, the City of Chicago Department of Water Management declined to elaborate on how much it would cost a homeowner to undergo this repair.
Lead exposure is most dangerous for children and pregnant women because it affects brain development. However, it can also harm the nerves, heart and kidneys — and everyone is vulnerable to those effects. Lead poisoning is gradual and has no telltale symptoms.
