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gothenburgpig t1_jacgcp7 wrote

To your rhetorical “is there something in the water”, there literally was lead in the water not that long ago

“The presence of lead in the placenta is an environmental hazard for a person's future. Due to hormonal changes, lead is released during pregnancy into the bloodstream of the mother from deposits in the bones and in the teeth, where it has accumulated for years as a result of a contaminated environment”

I’m not a scientist, so someone else will have to explain if the DC water problem could be related. Put that together with other pollution based on where you live plus other social issues and it’s a pretty bad situation

EDIT: OP meant to say NW.

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Soggy-Yogurt6906 t1_jactajz wrote

The issue wasn't lead contamination in water it was because people used leaded gasoline and lead in household paints in the 1970s. DC still has 1200+ sections of lead service lines. Generally, they don't result in lead contamination. A study was released that stated that, obviously, the risk of contamination is higher than a different pipe material.

I think lead contamination, while a contributing factor to neurological damage, is more of a red herring when it comes to behavioral issues of juveniles. Otherwise we would see a correlation with juvenile crime and lead exposure.

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