What’s New?
EPA has proposed improvements to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) to reduce lead in drinking water. The proposed rule would require utilities to eliminate the nation’s roughly 9.2 million lead service lines (LSLs) at an estimated cost of $2.1 to $2.9 billion per year.[1]
The socioeconomic benefits from the rule vastly outweigh the cost and range from $17.3 to $34.8 billion per year[2] – a whopping 8 to 12 times the annual cost of replacement.
Benefits By the Numbers
EPA evaluated the socioeconomic benefits of reductions in lead exposure for four health effects: intelligence quotient (IQ), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), low birth weight, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). About 75% of the benefits are from reduced CVD premature deaths due to exposure as an adult. About 23% are from improved IQ resulting in greater lifetime earnings.
The…
Read the full article originally published at blogs.edf.org.