Tell your state representative to support House Bill 272

Our children need safe drinking water. Yet lead is contaminating drinking water at schools and child care facilities across the country and right here in North Carolina. House Bill 272 would lower the allowable level of lead in drinking water at child care facilities. This bill will be heard by the North Carolina general assembly soon, and your state representative will be voting on this important piece of legislation. We need your help to get as much support for this bill as possible.

There is no safe level of lead exposure for children. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics urge water providers to strive for zero lead in children's drinking water, but current North Carolina law defines lead as a hazard for children only when it reaches 15 parts per billion. This standard was written over 20 years ago and needs to be updated.

Tell your representative to support House Bill 272 and protect our children from lead poisoning.

Subject: Support HB 272, "Revise Health Standard for Lead"

Your Letter:

Our children need safe drinking water -- yet lead is contaminating drinking water at schools and child care facilities across the country and right here in North Carolina. House Bill 272 would lower the allowable level of lead in drinking water at child care facilities. This bill will be voted on soon and, as your constituent, I am reaching out to ask you support this important piece of legislation.

Lead is a potent neurotoxin that affects how our children learn, grow, and behave. Even low levels of lead exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells.

Unfortunately, some sources of lead exposure still remain, including lead pipes and plumbing fixtures that are still in use. As detection improves and we learn more about the negative health effects of lead, it is critical that the NC General Assembly keeps the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention statute up to date.

There is no safe level of lead exposure for children. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Academy of Pediatrics urge water providers to strive for zero lead in children's drinking water. Current NC statute requires remediation of lead only when it reaches 15 parts per billion, but this standard was written over 20 years ago and needs to be updated.

House Bill 272 would lower the lead hazard level to 10 parts per billion. Updating the definition of child's drinking water lead hazard is an important step to eliminating childhood lead poisoning in North Carolina.

Sincerely,

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