Vast swaths of New York City have higher lead exposure than Flint, Michigan

A decade-long investigation on lead exposure rates in children in New York City found several neighborhoods with higher rates than Flint, Michigan, Reuters reported Tuesday. Reuters obtained childhood blood testing data from 2005 to 2015 and found 69 census tracts where the lead exposure was higher in New York City than Flint, where local government cost-saving measures contaminated the city's water supply.

Reuters mapped lead exposure across the census tracts, contiguous areas that ideally contain a population of about 4,000 people. In contrast to Flint, where the water crisis led to the high exposure levels, New York City's failure to eliminate lead poisoning is believed to be a result of poor regulation of existing housing laws and lead levels found in consumer products, Reuters explained:

Reuters' investigation found that most children with elevated levels of lead exposure lived in Brooklyn. High levels of lead exposure were also found in well-off areas like Manhattan's Upper West Side, which had rates comparable to Flint's. Read Reuters' full report here.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up