Local Assemblymember Calls for Stringent Regulations to Stop Lead Contamination of Drinking Water

Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, joined with public health and school officials on Thursday in caling for tighter regulations to reduce the amount of lead in California’s drinking water.

Assembly Bill 100, authored by Holden late last year, would ban the manufacture or sale of drinking water faucets and fixtures capable of leaching more than 1 microgram of the toxic metal into drinking water, “ensuring that faucets and fixtures are practically lead-free,” Holden’s office said in a written statement.

Holden said he’s been working to tackle the issue of reducing lead contamination, particularly for the protection of children, over the past three years. In 2018, Holden authored legislation requiring drinking water and schools and childcare centers to be tested for lead.

“Unfortunately, water faucets and fixtures that are being introduced and marketed right now still leach lead into the water,” Holden said. “This is unacceptable.”

If enacted, the proposed regulations would be the most stringent in the nation, according to Holden’s office. State funds would be made available to assist schools and licensed childcare centers to replace lead-leaching fixtures

“This bill would require all faucets and fixtures to leach as little lead as possible to keep kids safe and healthy,” Holden added.

AB 100 would set the limit for lead leaching from fixtures at 1 microgram of lead per liter of water, he said.

The proposed standard would be five times more stringent than current regulations, according to Jenn Engstrom, state director of the California Public Interest Research Group, or CALPIRG.

“The message is clear: Lead in our water is dangerous for our community, especially for children, and we need to do everything we can to get the lead out,” Engstrom said.

“Lead is highly toxic and can damage the brains and central nervous systems of young children. Even low levels of lead in children cause IQ loss, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and impaired hearing,” she said.

“In fact, public health agencies are unanimous that there is no safe level of lead for our children. Despite that, we still have faucets on the market that can leach lead into our drinking water,” she continued.

A recent independent study found about a quarter of 682 faucets tested leached “noticeable levels of lead,” she said.

Others expressing support of the bill include UCLA Medicine-Pediatrics/Preventative Medicine Professor and Chief Dr. Alice Kuo; the California Government Affairs Environmental Working Group; the Western Center on Law and Poverty; the Oakland Unified School District; and the organization Clean Water Action.

The full text of AB 100 can be accessed online at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB100.