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Preliminary Study of Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water in Public Parks—An Assessment of Equity and Exposure Risks in Two Texas Communities

Author

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  • Leanne Fawkes

    (Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

  • Garett Sansom

    (Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

Abstract

Safe drinking water is celebrated as a public health achievement and is a top priority for the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet today, lead (Pb) contaminated drinking water has the potential to be a public health crisis in the United States. Despite efforts to provide safe drinking water, update water infrastructure, and ensure strict drinking water regulations, there are incidents of unsafe lead levels and reports of associated adverse health effects. While there has been increased attention paid to the quality of drinking water within individuals’ homes, little research has examined the presence and concentration of lead in water from drinking fountain sources located in public parks. In this study, we sampled drinking water from every accessible public park in the Bryan/College Station (BCS), TX metropolitan area ( N = 56). With a lower detection level of 2.0 μg/L, we discovered a mean lead concentration of 1.3 μg/L across all sites and a maximum of 8.0 μg/L. Furthermore, neighborhoods below the median income for BCS were twice as likely to have detectable lead levels in their water and had 1.5 times the mean concentration. This study underscores the need for action and supports previous studies that have identified a disparate burden to lead exposure among low socioeconomic populations within the United States. By examining the water quality in drinking fountains in publicly accessible parks, the results of our study provide public health professionals with important information about where infrastructure should be improved and the potential harms of lead in drinking fountain water.

Suggested Citation

  • Leanne Fawkes & Garett Sansom, 2021. "Preliminary Study of Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water in Public Parks—An Assessment of Equity and Exposure Risks in Two Texas Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-8, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:12:p:6443-:d:574823
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jennifer S. Carrera & Kent Key & Sarah Bailey & Joseph A. Hamm & Courtney A. Cuthbertson & E. Yvonne Lewis & Susan J. Woolford & E. Hill DeLoney & Ella Greene-Moton & Kaneesha Wallace & DeWaun E. Robi, 2019. "Community Science as a Pathway for Resilience in Response to a Public Health Crisis in Flint, Michigan," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Garett Sansom & Leslie Cizmas & Kathleen Aarvig & Benika Dixon & Katie R. Kirsch & Anjali Katare & Lindsay Sansom, 2019. "Vulnerable Populations Exposed to Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water within Houston Ship Channel Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-8, August.
    3. Adam Theising, 2019. "Lead Pipes, Prescriptive Policy and Property Values," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(3), pages 1355-1382, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Leanne S. Fawkes & Thomas J. McDonald & Taehyun Roh & Weihsueh A. Chiu & Robert J. Taylor & Garett T. Sansom, 2022. "A Participatory-Based Research Approach for Assessing Exposure to Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water in the Houston Neighborhood of the Greater Fifth Ward," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-11, July.

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