These 18 PA Cities Have Higher Lead Exposure Than Flint

Lead exposure from public drinking water is a series problem in many Pennsylvania cities, including several in the Philadelphia area.

That’s according to Pennsylvania Department of Health data first analyzed by The Guardian and Vox.

The issue gained national exposure in Flint, Michigan when it was revealed that people across the city were suffering from lead poisoning.

But it’s not just Flint that’s suffering.

Flint has an elevated blood lead level rate of 3.21.

And of 20 Pennsylvania cities tested by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in 2014, the 18 below all had a higher percentage than in Flint.

1. Allentown - 23.1
2. Altoona - 20.45
3. Scranton - 19.45
4. Johnstown - 18.26
5. Reading - 16.14
6. Easton - 15.81
7. Bethlehem - 14.32
8. Chester - 13.73
9. Wilkes Barre - 13.17
10. Lebanon - 12.99
11. York - 12.41
12. Harrisburgh - 12.16
13. Erie - 12.09
14. Williamsport - 12.01
15. Norristown - 11.8
16. Lancaster - 11.03
17. Philadelphia - 10.19
18. Pittsburgh - 8.32

The most startling part of these numbers is that a full 10 percent of the 140,524 children tested in the above study had levels of lead deemed to be dangerous.

A key distinction is what caused the increased lead exposure: in Flint, it came as the city changed to a new and cheaper water source. In most Pennsylvania cities listed above, lead exposure is being caused by chips and dust of aging lead-based paint infecting the water supply, Vox says.

These numbers are, in fact, an improvement since 2007: exposure in children has decreased by 47 percent in the last nine years.

The cities listed above, however, remain at high risk.

The study suggests the importance of increased testing, particularly as the CDC routinely changes what is considered a “toxic” level of lead in the blood.