Why Do We STILL Use Lead Pipes?!

We've known for millennia that lead pipes could make us sick, so why are we still drinking from them?

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To learn more, start your googling with these keywords:
Hard water: water with a high mineral content
Soft water: water with a low mineral content
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Ever Salazar, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg, Julián Gómez, Arcadi Garcia Rius

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References:

[DoctorX]

I like lead in places where it can't poison me, like sealed in another metal in radiation shielding, not my pipes

[TheScienceBiome]

"Poisoning people one refreshing drink at a time!" - Minute Earth 2020

[dancepiglover]

I used to work at a vet clinic and, once when we were talking about lead toxicity, the vet actually said that it has no affect on anyone older than 6! I was speechless; I simply didn’t know how to respond. Needless to say, I ended up quitting due to lots of problems.

[oriondye]

“Yes let us replace all those lead pipes with plastic ones.”
50 years later, “Let us discuss the dangers of dissolved plastics in our water.”

[UloPe]

In Germany the water regulations mandate that all lead pipes had to have been replaced by end of 2013. Most regions already had stopped using lead pipes sind the late 1870s though.

[watchmker]

Hard water is just replacing one problem with another, because that 'crusty buildup' gets into *every* pipe or container. It narrows supply pipes, outright block interior pipes, and can severely harm any kind of boiler by forming an insulating layer over the heating element. It's better then lead poisoning, certainly, but pipe replacement should be pursued above calcifying the water supply.

[probablynotabigtoe]

"Empires perish, but lead pipes persist"

Oh the Irony in that statement.

[kaiserwilhelmiiemperorofge]

ah yes, the perfect think to make me feel safe during quarantine.

[PhilTruthborne]

Gonna be hard to convince people of power that health is more important than money

[majorfallacy]

Wasn't it actually common knowledge in ancient Rome that new lead pipes had to be in use for a few years before you could drink from them?

[warb_of_fire]

Adding phosphate also isn't ideal when the water isn't filtered properly before it goes back into the local watershed, for example when there are cross-connections or inadequate sewage treatment. Then it contributes to eutrophication along with what's already being done by the sewage itself.

[mrblond]

Here’s an interesting scenario. I have a sidewalk on my property, tree roots push the sidewalk up causing a trip hazard, the city sends me a repair order. It costs over 1K to have the tree removed, and the sidewalk re-poured. I’m responsible for fixing a public use space, that’s BS but I get it. Meanwhile government and utility are completely aware that lead pips can lead to poison and choose to rely on the thin brittle mineral covering to protect its citizens over replacing the piping, which we all know is best. This is just one reason we need to eliminate finical interest in government.

[habi]

Here in Germany all public water pipes have been changed about 20 years ago. In some very old houses it is said that there are still some lead pipes but honestly I have never seen one. Additionally the limits for lead in water are much lower than in the US but on the downside we have to pay for our water and also the waste water. In my area it is something like 6 Euro per 1000 liter. But in order not to be poisoned and to keep the rivers clean I am happy to pay this costs.

[connorconnor]

Iron and lead in the same world?
What is this heresy

[Tiniuc]

For some reason, I read 'LEAD' as 'LEWD'.

I think I've had enough internet for today.

[scottfranco]

There is a lot of missing or misstated facts here. First, Flint was not caused by lack of minerals, it was caused by using water with a radically different PH which leached lead from the pipes at an accelerated rate. Second, in Roman times they did not use pressurized water systems, but had water continually flowing from the source in the mountains to the taps in the streets and houses. The water didn't have time to leach out lead from the pipes. It only became a problem when we used pressurized water, essentially leaving water in the pipes for long periods of time.

[redgreen]

Is the answer money? I bet the answer is "because of money."

If the question is "why do we..." it's because someone, somewhere is profiting off of it. Usually the same people who are profiting off of everything else.

[Hakasedess]

The ongoing water crisis in Flint really shouldn't be referred to in the past tense.

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

Reminds me of Newark where my mom is from (But she no longer lives there). They’ve had a water crisis since 2016 because of the lead pipes. As of the beginning of this year, over 200K residents have been affected by elevated levels of lead

[lukassnakeman]

everyone: someone should do something about this problem"
how about a small donation or putting some thought into your voting choices?
also everyone: no