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Pittsburgh's history of lead in our water, paint, and soil continues to have enormous repercussions for the area's public health. Hidden Poison is a series on lead problems and solutions, reported by public media partners 90.5 WESA News, Allegheny Front, PublicSource, and Keystone Crossroads. Read more at our website: hiddenpoison.org.

Hidden Poison: Essential Reading On Pittsburgh's Lead Problem

Seth Perlman
/
AP Photo

Twenty stories—and one controller's audit!—to get you up to speed on Pittsburgh's lead problem, from our partners and other local outlets.

 

 

“Pittsburgh to Provide Water Filters to All Residents to Reduce Lead Exposure"
90.5 WESA News
March 8, 2017

 

“City Controller: Problems Everywhere We Turned at PWSA”
90.5 WESA News
February 16, 2017

 

Performance Audit of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
City of Pittsburgh’s Office of City Controller
February 2017

“Allegheny County Health Board Moves Forward with Mandated Lead Testing For Children”
90.5 WESA News
January 13, 2017

“The Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority is working to address high lead levels, but misinformation and current testing practices could put residents at risk”
Pittsburgh City Paper
December 14, 2016

PA schools aren’t required to test for lead or radon, so many Pittsburgh-area districts don’t”
PublicSource
December 1, 2016

Water shoots up in an arc from a water fountain faucet.
Credit Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA
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90.5 WESA

“Customers Angry About Water Quality Testing Backlog as PWSA Moves To Streamline Process”
90.5 WESA News
September 23, 2016

“Pittsburgh water: expensive, rust-colored, corrosive, and high in lead”
The Guardian
September 12, 2016

“Here’s How to Tell if You Have Lead Pipes in Your Home”
Allegheny Front
August 26, 2016

“Pittsburgh has to replace some lead water lines. But authorities have to find them first.”
PublicSource
August 3, 2016

“State says Pittsburgh must do more to get the lead out”
Allegheny Front
July 15, 2016

Credit Seth Perlman / AP
/
AP

“Lead Poisoning Has No Symptoms, So How Does It Affect The Body?”
90.5 WESA News
May 2, 2016

“Water Authority Under Fire for Swapping Lead Preventative Chemicals Without DEP Permission”
90.5 WESA News
April 25, 2016

Video: “A Brief History of Lead”
Keystone Crossroads
March 31, 2016

“How a Philadelphia doctor changed the way we think about lead poisoning”
Keystone Crossroads
March 29, 2016

“Why aren’t more kids tested for lead? An interview with ACHD director Karen Hacker”
Allegheny Front
March 4, 2016

Credit Deanna Garcia / 90.5 WESA
/
90.5 WESA

“Lead detected in Pittsburgh’s drinking water on the rise since 1999”
PublicSource
March 1, 2016

“How we ended up with lead piping and why removing it will be hard”
Keystone Crossroads
February 29, 2016

“Lead-tainted water in Flint draws new attention to lead risks in older Pennsylvania cities”
Keystone Crossroads
February 8, 2016

“Study shows lead may exposure may impact several generations”
Allegheny Front
January 29, 2016

“Lead-Tainted Water Has a Long History in the U.S.”
Allegheny Front
January 29, 2016

Hidden Poison is a series examining Pittsburgh’s lead problem, reported by public media partners 90.5 WESA News, Allegheny Front, PublicSource, and Keystone Crossroads. Read more at hiddenpoison.org.

Patrick Doyle oversees WESA's digital strategy and products. Previously, he served as WESA's news director. Email: pdoyle@wesa.fm.