Peter Chen comments on the Newark lead crisis

Posted on August 14, 2019

The Newark lead crisis is back in the news, as recent EPA testings show that the city-distributed water filters may not be working as they should. In response, Mayor Ras Baraka and Governor Murphy are working to get the word out about the issue, as well as provide bottled water to affected residents and determine why the filters are not removing as much lead as previously thought.

Policy counsel Peter Chen gives his thoughts on the lead issue in a recent NJTV broadcast:

Back in 2018, ACNJ reported on the lead levels in children in its Newark Kids Count report, highlighting the successes the city achieved while also cautioning that there is still work to be done for every child to have zero lead in their systems. While the percentage of Newark children with high lead levels in their system has been on the decline since 2006, levels are still higher than the rest of the state, and small levels of lead remain a pervasive issue.

Click here to see if you are in an area affected by the lead levels.
If you are in an affected area, find where you can obtain bottled water here.