VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Lead Poisoning in Syracuse
Rahill Jaiswal: Also in the Syracuse community, lots of houses are very old. This leads to high amounts of lead levels in the drinking water. In general, Syracuse is known for some good things.However, one major issue with the city has been its struggles with lead poisoning. According to NYCLU.org, over 25% of the homes in Syracuse have very high levels of lead. This is an issue that a lot of locals like Drew Baker have become very frustrated with.
Drew Baker: I mean, we shouldn’t really be drinking water with lead in it. And I mean, how much is the filter really taking out?
Rahill: Another local who expressed his displeasure was T.J. Griswold. The current S.U. student questioned what exactly the city is doing.
TJ Griswold: You know, obviously, Syracuse has made a promise to the people that do live in Syracuse that they will be replacing the majority of the lead lines. If they can’t replace them, they’ll be putting some different type of piping through. But it seems like they’ve done nothing.
Rahill: Now, I did reach out to the Environmental Protection Agency, and they directed me to a press release with the following statement from EPA Administrator Michael Martucci. Quote, Families across America, including Syracuse, deserve clean drinking water. The EPA is working alongside the city of Syracuse and the New York State Department of Health to address lead risks and put long term solutions in place.The collaboration between the two is set to provide the city with a roadmap telling them what steps need to be taken to improve on the issue. Now, other officials did speak on the high lead levels and the collaboration. New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, quote, The department will continue to be actively involved to ensure the public’s health is protected.
SYRACUSE, N.Y (NCC NEWS) – Lead poisoning has been a long-standing issue in Syracuse. According to nyclu.org, over 25% of homes in Syracuse have very high levels of lead.
One of the reasons for this is the age of the houses. The constant issue is frustrating the locals. One of those people is Syracuse native and ESF student Drew Baker.
“I mean, we shouldn’t really be drinking water with lead in it. Also, how much is the filter really taking out,” said Baker
Another local, TJ Griswold, questioned what exactly the city is doing.
“Syracuse has made a promise to the people that do live in Syracuse that they will be replacing the majority of the lead lines. If they can’t replace them, they’ll be putting some different type of piping through. But it seems like they’ve done nothing,” Griswold said.
Now, in order to solve the issue, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they are collaborating with the City of Syracuse and the New York State Department of Health.
The EPA put out the following statement, This order provides Syracuse a roadmap that clearly lays out the steps needed under federal regulation to address lead in its drinking water.”