Water and Wetlands issues and activities this month covered a wide range of topics.
Lead: With testimony and active support from the Stewards, the Legislature appropriated $230 million to replace lead pipes carrying drinking water across the State. There is no safe lead contaminant level, and prevention of exposure is of paramount importance. The Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contaminant level goal is zero. Some additional lead facts to consider:
- Lead is a potent neurotoxin. It can affect cognitive development and behavior at amazingly low blood concentrations.
- Children are especially susceptible.
- Exposure is mostly cumulative.
- There is no known therapy for low concentrations in the blood.
- Lead damage is permanent.
The Stewards also discussed a recent EPA assessment of the neonicotinoid insecticides imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin which points to their potential to jeopardize endangered or threatened species as well as adversely modify critical habitat. These insecticides are used to control piercing and sucking insects in a variety of agricultural and non-agricultural settings including seed treatments, pet collars, aerial spraying, and soil applications.
The team is continuing to talk about the book Fen, Bog, and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and its Role in the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx. Her discussion of bogs led to considering the bog bodies on display at the National Museum of Ireland.