lead

Damage from Hurricane Helene near Asheville, N.C., on Oct. 2, 2024. SUSAN WALSH/AP

Climate

Blue Ridge Public Radio's News Director talks covering Helene and the state of Asheville

1:46pm November 15, 2024

After Helene, Blue Ridge Public Radio was one of the first sources of news in Asheville to become operational again. BPR News Director Laura Lee spoke with WFDD’s Santiago Ochoa about the newsroom's pivot to cover the storm and how Asheville and surrounding areas are faring weeks later.

Queue Listen Now

Lead in cinnamon: Where do things stand, 1 year after a scary recall?

6:00am October 25, 2024

Last Halloween, the FDA said that some cinnamon, a spice loved by many kids and adults, was contaminated with lead, a metal that can cause irreversible damage in babies and young children.

Queue Listen Now

Beethoven was a classical and romantic composer, but his body was full of heavy metal

5:00am June 27, 2024

by Ari Daniel

Virtuosic pianist and composer Beethoven suffered from several debilitating ailments. A new study suggests lead poisoning may be at least partly to blame.

Queue Listen Now

Many cities have older lead service lines connecting homes to the water system.

Lead in the drinking water is still a problem in the U.S. — especially in Chicago

5:00am April 01, 2024

by Pien Huang

The Windy City has the most lead pipes of any U.S. city. A study estimates that more than two-thirds of children there are exposed to lead in their home tap water.

The issue of lead levels in water was brought to national attention during the Flint water crisis, which started in 2014.

EPA Proposes New Regulations For Lead In Drinking Water

1:32pm October 11, 2019

by Paolo Zialcita

The new proposal is being criticized for not proactively replacing lead service lines across the nation. It also keeps the same threshold for lead in drinking water that the U.S. currently has.

Health & Safety

Environment North Carolina Launches Lead Awareness Campaign

6:00am September 17, 2019

by David Ford

As children head back to school, parents, teachers and administrators will be educated on how they can help protect the water that students drink there.

Looking for scraps of lead to sell, young people in the town of Kabwe, Zambia, dig through the toxic tailings left behind from 100 years of mining.

Whatever Happened To ... The Kids Whose Lead Levels Were Off The Charts?

5:43pm August 29, 2019

by Susan Brink

They live in the lead-contaminated village of Kabwe, Zambia. A World Bank loan for lead cleanup offered reason for hope. A new report assesses the current situation.

Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the Trump Administration plans to tackle the issue of of lead exposure "head on." Wheeler seen here during a Senate Committee hearing in August.

Critics Call Trump Administration Plan To Reduce Lead Exposure Toothless

5:08pm December 19, 2018

by Brakkton Booker

The Federal Lead Action Plan is a framework rather than a call for new regulations. The plan seeks to bolster efforts to communicate the dangers of lead exposure. Critics say it doesn't go far enough.

Education

Guilford County School Officials Want Lawmakers To Support Lead Testing

7:12am September 04, 2018

by Keri Brown

The Guilford County School system plans to ask lawmakers for help with lead testing in their buildings.

Education

After Lead Found In Water, Guilford County School District Adds More Safety Measures

7:00am August 27, 2018

by Keri Brown

Guilford County School officials have a new plan to address concerns over high levels of lead found in drinking water at some buildings.