Lead contamination was found in 70 percent of the 2,797 homes tested in Chicago as part of a program allowing residents to analyze their water free of charge, according to a recent report by the Chicago Tribune.
Water samples from 30 percent of the homes exceeded the 5 ppb standard used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for bottled water, while more than 100 tested higher than the actionable level of 15 ppb used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate water utilities.
The results, which are available on the program’s website, indicate Chicago has a deeper lead contamination problem than federally
