Safe drinking water should take priority

Let's be blunt about the public health effects of lead-contaminated drinking water.

This dangerous metal is considered a neurotoxin that alters how a person's nervous system functions. Over time, it can cause serious brain damage, particularly among children. That's according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which helped pass the Clean Water Act of 1972 and fought on behalf of the residents of Flint, Michigan during that city's water crisis. 

Even trace amounts of lead in a child's bloodstream can lead to delayed growth and cognitive development, the council reports.