North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is joining a multi-state effort to protect federal rules aimed at removing lead from drinking water.
Jackson and 16 other attorneys general filed a legal brief this week defending a Safe Drinking Water Act rule. The regulation requires most public water systems to replace lead service lines within ten years.
The move follows a court challenge from the American Water Works Association, which represents various water utilities. Jackson argues that lead exposure causes irreversible brain damage in children and that there is no safe level of lead in a child’s system. He stated that allowing water systems to bypass these replacements is "indefensible."
Lead service lines remain the primary source of lead contamination in U.S. drinking water, posing significant risks for developmental disorders in children and kidney damage in adults.
