Most writing about lead concerns children, and the emphasis is well placed. The developing brain is the most vulnerable target and the neurodevelopmental evidence is the strongest in the field. But lead does not stop mattering when a person grows…
More than five decades of epidemiological, engineering and public-health evidence show a consistent relationship between lead in drinking water and blood lead concentrations wherever lead-bearing plumbing remains in service — and that reducing drinking-water lead reduces the biological burden of…
Thames Water estimated 1.15 million lead communication pipes remained in its area in March 2025, and calculated that clearing them at its then-current rate would take until 2135. The customer-owned side is larger and uncounted. Why London's Victorian terraces are…
Abstract Lead contamination of drinking water from legacy plumbing remains a significant public-health concern globally. Although the use of lead in new drinking-water pipework has been prohibited or heavily restricted in many high-income countries for decades, older lead service lines,…
