Exposure to lead in drinking water from private wells during early childhood is associated with an increased risk of being reported for delinquency during teenage years, according to a new study by Indiana University, Duke University and other researchers that uses data from Wake County.
According to Jackie MacDonald Gibson, lead author of the study and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, 13% of U.S. households rely on private wells — water sources not regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and therefore relatively rarely tested for lead or treated to prevent lead dissolution from household plumbing and fixtures
“We know that lead exposure early in life has been linked to lower IQ, reduced lifetime earnings and an increased risk for behavioral problems and criminal activity,” said Gibson. “… This research highlights the need to recognize the risks to children relying on private well water and for new programs to ensure they have access to clean drinking water. Failing to do so imposes burdens not just on the affected children and their families but also on society at large.”
The study found that children who get their water from private wells before age 6 have higher blood lead levels and, as a result, have a 21% higher risk of being reported for any delinquency after age 14 and a 38% increased risk of having a record for a serious complaint — such as felony property or weapons offenses and misdemeanor assault. This data was gathered through analysis of data drawn from records of 13,580 children under the age of 6 who were tested for blood lead levels in Wake County between 1998 and 2011, alongside juvenile delinquency reports of the children, after reaching age 14, drawn from the NC Department of Public Safety database. The sample included rural areas, wealthy newer exurban developments and majority Black communities that were historically excluded from municipal incorporation and access to services.
“Lead in drinking water is a problem whenever it occurs,” said co-author Philip J. Cook, Duke Sanford School of Public Policy professor emeritus. “In Wake County, it is not a problem for households on city water, but it sometimes is for those that are supplied by wells … Well water is often a bit corrosive, and if there is lead in the pipes — as joint solder, for example — then the water leaches the lead out on its way to the faucet. City water is treated so that it will not be corrosive.”
In addition to finding a correlation between lead exposure and behavioral problems in teens, the study also found that blood lead levels were approximately 11% higher in children relying on private wells, compared to children provided with community water service.
“Lead is not often found in raw water sources, and there is no detectable amount of lead in the treated drinking water leaving OWASA’s Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant,” said Blake Hodge, communication specialist at OWASA. “Lead is typically found when it is leaching from plumbing lines in homes into drinking water; to help prevent that, we have a corrosion control program to keep lead from entering the drinking water from these pipes. We also test in certain homes where lead solder is more likely to be present (homes built before 1986) to ensure that our corrosion control is working.”
New construction do not have an issue with lead in pipes due to current building code and regulations, but older construction and lack of testing do present a problem. Researchers said neighborhoods that rely on private wells and border cities or towns but are not incorporated in them are good candidates for community water service extensions due to their close proximity to existing infrastructure. Those farther away, they said, could be provided with household water filters at subsidized rates depending on income.
“Ours is not the first study to find that children who grow up with lead in their water supply are more likely to get involved in criminal activity,” said Cook. “But, by connecting the problem to wells in Wake County, our results provide a clear guide for what needs to be done locally.”
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