2018 Annual Meeting of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus
Erie, Pennsylvania September 21-22, 2018
Resolution on Reducing Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
WHEREAS,
lead is a toxic substance that serves no beneficial purpose in the human body, causes lifelong adverse health effects and developmental delays, and is not safe at any level of exposure; and exposure to lead can damage the brain, red blood cells, and kidneys, with studies consistently demonstrating the harmful effects of lead exposure on children, including impaired cognitive function, decreased academic performance, decreased attention, and increased impulsivity and hyperactivity; and
WHEREAS,
WHEREAS,
the impacts of exposure on pregnant women include, miscarriage, a higher incidence of low birth weight babies, and increased infant mortality; and
WHEREAS,
the harmful effects of lead exposure on individuals produces societal costs such as reduced lifetime earnings; increased health care costs; increased costs for special education, learning interventions for lower IQ, and attention issues; and potential increases in criminal behavior; and lead is particularly dangerous to children because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adult bodies do, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead; and the greatest risk from lead is to infants, young children, and pregnant women, with infants who drink formula prepared with lead-contaminated water being at higher risk because of the large amount of water they drink relative to their body size; and
WHEREAS,
WHEREAS,
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