Biden declares emergency over lead in water, levels 100 times the limit

US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Nov. 11 declared an emergency as  discoloured lead contaminated water was supplied through the faucets to the Americans sparking concerns about health hazards. Toxic lead is known to pose the dangers of childhood development, behaviour and IQ scores if consumed.

Lead contamination in the water was reported in the Virgin Islands earlier this week by the residents who complained about health issues after consuming it. A subsequent test from the St. Croix revealed that the levels of the lead in the water was shockingly more than 100 times the limits set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The contamination was found to be the worst yet in decades.

Authorities distribute vouchers for bottled water

As the tests confirmed the severe water contamination with lead, authorities ordered the resident to immediately stop using their taps. An initiative was started to distribute vouchers for bottled water for use. Lead can  plague communities, often majority-Black communities, who have long been facing lead crises in the US and the instance of bad water wouldn't be the first time.

“On a personal level, it’s been frightening and frustrating,” a resident Frandelle Gerard, executive director of Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism, Inc was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

Authorities insisted that there must be safety protocols installed for some of the city’s reservoirs but found that the source could be the lead pipes. Previously, residents in Benton Harbor, Michigan reported the lead concentrations in their drinking water, and waited months for officials to confirm whether the filter would make it safe to consume the war, having to rely on bottled water for several months.

“This is not something that we shy away from talking about,” Andrew Smith, head of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority was quoted as saying by the agency.

Some officials expressed scepticism about the testing as workers usually collect water samples from a household faucet, but for St. Croix was collected from the metre. Stressing that such methods produce "artificially high results," an official said, “When you (unscrew) it, you are literally ripping the leaded-brass apart and a chunk of leaded-brass gets in your sample."

“There's a lot of oddities about how St. Croix's sampling was done," said Tom Neltner, a chemical and lead expert at the Environmental Defense Fund. At this point, the parents cannot tell how much lead the kids were consuming.