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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Lead Poison: America's "Silent Epidemic"

    Lead in the water supply has created a public health crisis in Flint, Michigan -- and provided a wake-up call to the rest of the country. The water supplied by some 2000 water districts around the US is contaminated with lead. For decades, a powerful industry pushed for the use of lead pipes in buildings, including schools and private homes.

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    By Warren Olney • Mar 30, 2016 • 33m Listen

    Lead in the water supply has created a public health crisis in Flint, Michigan -- and provided a wake-up call to the rest of the country. The water supplied by some 2000 water districts around the US is contaminated with lead. For decades, a powerful industry pushed for the use of lead pipes in buildings, including schools and private homes. Lead in the drinking water can cause organ damage and mental disabilities in children, and it’s well known that there’s no safe level. So how was a national crisis allowed to occur — and what’s to be done?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gideon Brower

      Independent Producer

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      Paul von Zielbauer

      Co-founder of Geezer magazine, former producer for To the Point and Which Way LA?; former reporter for the New York Times

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      Peter Grevatt

      Environmental Protection Agency

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      Christopher Cerf

      Newark Public Schools

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      Alison Young

      USA Today

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