The Newark Water Crisis

Lead is a potent neurotoxin that has devastating impacts on infants and children (Anselm, 2021). For Newark, N.J., major warning signs appeared in 2016 in the form of record-high levels of lead in the drinking water of Newark public schools (Anselm, 2021). These increased lead levels stem from corrosion of old lead water pipes throughout the city. In some affected Newark Neighborhoods, the pipes are over 100 years old (Bates, 2019). Older houses and houses in low-income areas are more likely to contain lead-based paint as well as lead pipes, faucets and plumbing fixtures (CDC, 2020).

The level of lead above which the federal government requires action to be taken out of concern for resident’s health is 15 parts per billion (Sax, 2018). However, in Newark, lead levels rose to 57 ppb during the first half of 2019 (Nathanson, 2020). Any amount of lead exposure is detrimental to a person’s health, especially for children and pregnant women.

Newark has been forced to deal with this issue since 2017 and has since received lawsuits from the Natural Resources Defense council along with warnings and demands from the Environmental Protection Agency (Nathanson, 2020). Despite the progress, Newark still has a pressing issue within its community.

This interactive map depicts the risk of lead exposure across the United States. The Image on the right is a zoom of the surrounding areas of Newark. The bright red areas in the map are the places where public health researchers have identified the highest risk of lead exposure. The vast majority cluster in urban areas. This map indicates that Newark is at the highest risk of lead exposure (Frostenson, 2016).

The map above shows the amount of children with BLL in the range of 5 ug/dL - <45 ug/dL by Counties in New Jersey. This data was surveyed by the New Jersey Department of Health in 2019. The data ranged from 3 children in Sussex County to an overwhelming 380 children in Essex County (Frostenson, 2017).

The map on the right depicts the percent of the population whose income in the past 12 months have been below the poverty level. Compare this map to the map on the previous side. There is a visual correlation between the high risk of lead exposure and communities below the poverty line. 

Affected communities in Newark are predominantly low-income and African American, similar to the crisis Flint Michigan (Aratani, 2019). The poverty rate of Flint Michigan is 41.2% (Welfare Info, 2017)

while the poverty rate of Newark is 28.2%, both significantly above the national average of 14.6% (Welfare Info, 2017).

Communities of color are at higher risk of lead exposure (CDC, 2020). This is due to the lack of access to safe, affordable housing as well as possible discrimination when trying to find a safe, healthy place to live. The housing inequity that plagues America puts children, such as non-Hispanic Black persons, at a greater risk of exposure to lead (CDC, 2020). 

The Newark population is over 282,000 with half of the population being Black, one-third Latino and over a quarter living in poverty (Nathanson, 2020). 

Lead poisoning is extremely dangerous, and it often occurs with no obvious symptoms (Sax, 2018). Lead poisoning can cause a myriad of health concerns including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and high levels of seizures, coma, and even death (Aratani, 2019). Pregnant women and children make up the most high-risk population for lead health concerns. 

In children, lead can lead to serious damage to the brain and central nervous system. Children exposed to lead poisoning are also susceptible to delayed growth, lower IQs. hyperactivity, hearing problems, and anemia (Aratani, 2019). In adults, lead exposure more commonly leads to cardiovascular effects, increased blood pressure, incidence of hypertension, decreased kidney function, and reproductive problems (Aratani, 2019).

The Department of Environmental Protection required Newark to monitor the lead in the drinking water more extensively in 2017 (Anselm, 2021). As a result of longtime neglect of the water system, Newark reported that lead levels were above federal action level. Between 2018 and 2019 Newark’s lead levels rose to some to the highest of any major city in the country (Anselm, 2021). Action was necessary to ensure the protection of residents. 

In lieu of lawsuits and community pressure, the city of Newark provided at-home water filters to about 40,000 households (Anselm, 2021). While this was progress, the city eventually discovered that the water filters distributed may be ineffective at preventing lead exposure and the Environmental Protection Agency ordered Newark to give its residents bottled water (Aratani, 2019). Residents of Newark were granted two cases of water a week for their entire household, which was not sufficient, especially during the summer months (Aratani, 2019). 

Once the issue with the filters had been assessed, there was a new sense of progress with filters having a 97.5% effectiveness at reducing lead. However, a report found that more than a quarter of filters were not properly installed or maintained (Nathanson, 2020). The city suggests that residents run the water in their homes by flushing toilets, washing dishes and running their showers (Bates, 2019). This is believed to help the protective coating and allow the new corrosion control treatments to be more effective.

The Newark Water Coalition is now focused on education and reaching every resident with essential instructions like flushing water before using it and never running hot water through a filter as well as answering questions about the lead service line replacement process (Nathanson, 2020). In January of 2021, Newark was on its way to removing 18,000 lead service lines at no direct cost to residents (Anselm, 2021).

2013-2015: Monitoring period, 12% of tap water samples from the service area exceeded 15 ppb

March 2016: Thirty schools in the Newark Public School district record lead levels above 15 ppb

May 2016: A report describes the water system’s longtime state of disrepair. Included failures to conduct routine instrument maintenance, nonfunctioning equipment, and more.

January 2017-June 2017: Newark’s water system begins monitoring for lead on a 6-month schedule. 15 ppb is exceeded in at least 22% of drinking water samples, 10% of samples exceed 27 ppb, and at least six Newark homes test above 50 ppb.

September 2017 - NRDC and 10 other groups send a letter to Newark Officials stating that the city has failed to respond comprehensively to lead contamination

June 2018 - Newark is on the verge of its third exceedance of the federal action level for lead. The NRDC and NEW Caucus take city and state officials to court.

October 2018 - City officials announce plans to provide water filters to some residents in certain parts of Newark due to the pressure of litigation

December 2018 - Water lead levels skyrocket and 24 homes test above 50 ppb. Newark violates the federal action level for the fourth time in two years

August 2019 - EPA instructs Newark to begin providing bottled water to over 15,000 homes because the water filters were not adequately removing lead

August 2019 - Mayor Baraka announces plan to replace all lead service lines in the city

November 2019 - New report by Newark confirms widespread misuse of faucet and pitcher filters leaving thousands at risk from high lead levels

July 2020 - lead levels for first six months decline to around 17 ppb

January 2021 - Newark reports that 16,577 lead service lines have been replaced and projects that 18,720 more will be replaced by early spring 2021

(Anselm, 2021)

In summary, the Newark Water Crisis has demonstrated that an environmental concern has the potential to disrupt all aspects of society including education, health, politics and more. 

Similar to the demographics of Flint, the Newark Water Crisis disproportionately affects people of color and communities below the poverty line. The inequity faced by people who are predominantly minority is that they have less political power and are burdened by the environmental contamination they are exposed to.

Community leaders need to take more precautions with environmental protections to ensure another Flint or Newark occurs as well as listen to their residents' concerns with a sympathetic ear.