October 08, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Sarah Bucic
Policy Analyst
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
302.383.6811
Nurses Support EPA’s Historic Action to Replace all Lead Pipes Within 10 years
WASHINGTON – Today, the Biden-Harris Administration issued a final rule on the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. The new rule also requires more rigorous testing of drinking water and a lower threshold requiring communities to take action to protect people from lead exposure in water.
In response to today’s announcement, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment’s (ANHE) Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement is the biggest step EPA has ever taken in replacing lead service lines across the country. Congress banned the installation of lead pipes to deliver drinking water in 1986 however decades later, millions of people across the country still have lead service lines going into their homes. While nurses celebrate that this rule does more to protect our communities and children’s health than ever before, there is still more to be done. There is no safe amount of lead in drinking water and nurses have been advocating for health based standards for lead in drinking water. It is critical, as we build on the new lead and copper rule’s important commitment to environmental justice and public health, that EPA takes steps to ensure that water remains safe throughout lead service line replacement. We urge EPA to set health based standards for lead in drinking water and continue lowering action levels.”
Lead in drinking water impacts cities and towns in all 50 states. This final rule is part of the President’s commitment to replace every lead pipe in the country within a decade, making sure that all communities can turn on the tap and drink clean water.
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The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments is the only national nursing organization focused solely on the intersection of health and the environment. The mission of the Alliance is to promote healthy people and healthy environments by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating evidence-based practice, and influencing policy.
