Contaminated drinking water is a slow-moving epidemic in Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods, one that continues to exact devastating consequences. This crisis stems not only from the 412,000 confirmed lead service lines delivering brain-damaging toxins into homes, but also from alarming concentrations of toxic “Forever Chemicals” — PFAS — found in our tap water. Even if every lead pipe were replaced tomorrow, Chicagoans would still be exposed to substances linked to cancer, birth defects, liver disease, and immune system disorders. This is a public health emergency — and the city has a clear pathway to confront it, if only our leaders had the will.
Lead poisoning and its consequences
For decades, Chicago has turned a blind eye to a silent epidemic that has harmed generation after generation: Lead contamination in drinking water. The science is settled — no level of lead exposure is safe. Lead damages brain development, stunts growth, and causes serious problems with learning, behavior, hearing, and speech. Studies consistently link lead exposure with lower IQ scores, reduced attention spans, and diminished school performance.
A 2024 analysis by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimated that 68 percent of Chicago children under age six live in households with tap water containing detectable levels of lead. Their findings, based on 38,000 home water tests conducted between 2016 and 2023, underscore how widespread this crisis truly is.
Researchers have also found compelling connections between lead exposure and violent crime. Economist Rick Nevin’s landmark 2007 study revealed strong correlations between childhood lead exposure and later violent offenses across nine Western countries. A 2012 review in *Environment International* confirmed this trend, showing that declines in airborne lead emissions have consistently aligned with reductions in urban violence. Amherst College economist Jessica Wolpaw Reyes credited the U.S. phaseout of leaded gasoline during the 1990s with reducing violent crime by more than 50 percent.
While we cannot attribute all social ills to one toxin, it would be equally irresponsible to ignore overwhelming evidence that environmental remediation directly improves public safety and community well-being. Clean air and clean water are not abstract “costs” of government — they are the foundation of public health and opportunity.
Toxic “Forever Chemicals”
Lead is not the only danger lurking in our water. A 2024 Chicago Tribune investigation revealed widespread contamination from PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — throughout Illinois. These “Forever Chemicals,” so named because they persist indefinitely in the environment and the human body, have no safe level of exposure according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Even microscopic concentrations have been linked to testicular and kidney cancers, liver damage, infertility, and metabolic disorders.
A stunning lack of urgency
Instead of taking decisive action, the Chicago Department of Water Management has stated that it will not upgrade treatment plants for PFAS unless required by federal mandate. This “wait until Washington makes us act” mindset mirrors the city’s lethargy on lead service line replacement. Nearly half a million lead pipes have been identified, yet city crews have replaced less than half of one percent of them. At this pace, the work would take half a millennium to complete.
Federal drinking water rules required the city to notify roughly 900,000 renters, homeowners, and landlords by November 16, 2024, that their drinking water is at risk of lead contamination. Yet as of mid-2024, WBEZ reported that just 7 percent had received notices — a failure of transparency and governance that cannot be excused.
Environmental injustice and life expectancy gaps
The consequences of neglect are visible in Chicago’s stark health inequities. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health and NYU Langone Health, Chicago has the largest life expectancy gap between neighborhoods of any major U.S. city. In 2023, Asian/Pacific Islander residents lived on average to 86.8 years, compared to 71.8 years for Black residents. The Loop’s life expectancy reached 87.3 years, while residents of West Garfield Park averaged just 66.6.
These twenty-year disparities are inseparable from environmental and public health inequities. Poorer and predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods face the daily burden of drinking water contaminated not only by lead but by PFAS — pollutants that require more than pipe replacement. Families in these communities need immediate, affordable protections such as bottled water or certified filtration systems in homes, schools, and childcare centers.
A pathway forward
Chicago can act now through practical, proven steps:
- Distribute water filtration systems immediately: Every household, school, childcare facility, and restaurant in need should have access to effective filtration systems capable of removing both lead and PFAS.
- Accelerate lead service line replacement: Chicago has drawn less than one-third of its $325 million federal loan for this work, and that loan expires next year. We must remove local red tape and adopt lower-cost, faster replacement methods.
- Ensure full transparency: Chicago must notify all affected residents, not just a fraction, and provide clear guidance on risk reduction. Families deserve the truth.
- Empower the Department of the Environment: The newly restored department must have real authority, funding, and staff to tackle hazards, oversee clean water initiatives, and address broader environmental inequities.
The resources exist. WTTW reports that of the $325 million available through federal financing finalized in 2023, just $70 million to $90 million has been utilized. The city has also authorized more than $130 million in additional funding through municipal bonds, much of which remains unspent. A portion of these resources should be immediately directed toward distributing filtration devices to homes, schools, and small businesses.
Lessons from other cities
Newark, New Jersey, acted with urgency, replacing nearly all lead service lines in under two years while distributing filters citywide. Flint, Michigan — once synonymous with water crisis — is nearing completion of its replacement program. Chicago can do the same, and faster, with its greater resources and infrastructure.
Broken promises
The origins of Chicago’s water crisis long predate Mayor Brandon Johnson. But as a candidate, Johnson made environmental justice — and specifically clean water — a centerpiece of his campaign. He pledged to confront hazards like lead pollution, particularly on the South and West Sides, promising swift action and comprehensive study. Yet since taking office, progress has stalled. The mayor’s silence and inaction on an issue that once defined his platform are deeply troubling.
Clean water must be Chicago’s top priority
Contaminated water is an epidemic that strikes hardest at the city’s most vulnerable residents — our children. The blueprint for action is clear. The funding exists. What’s missing is urgency. It should not take another generation of preventable illness and inequality to compel City Hall to act. Chicago must get the lead out, eliminate toxic chemicals from our water, and make environmental justice a true cornerstone of public health.
