Is there lead in your pipes?
Chicago has the highest number of lead water service lines in the nation, with an estimated 412,000 of about 491,000 lines at least partly made of lead or contaminated with the dangerous metal.
Service lines are the underground pipes that connect the city’s water main to your home’s internal plumbing. When these and other plumbing materials contain lead, tiny pieces of the toxic metal can dissolve or flake off into the water coming out of your tap.
WBEZ, Grist and Inside Climate News have for the first time analyzed city data obtained through a public records request that allows Chicago’s residents to see where the problem is most acute — and how it intersects with poverty and race.
Use our map tool to view confirmed and suspected lead service lines across Chicago, alongside distributions of race and poverty.
Read more at WBEZ.org, the Chicago Sun-Times, and at the link in bio.
Story by Keerti Gopal/Inside Climate News, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco/WBEZ, Amy Qin/WBEZ, Clayton Aldern/Grist and Peter Aldhous/Inside Climate News
Video by Bryan Ernst
Edited by Zubaer Khan
#lead #chicago #news #chicagonews #leadpipes #water #infrastructure #politics #race #poverty #data #dataviz
Europe’s transition towards sustainable construction gained tangible momentum through new technological and policy advancements redefining environmental sustainability in construction. The EU‑funded INDTEGRATE project is positioning green hydrogen within industrial processes, linking Whole Life Carbon Assessment to real supply chain transformation. By integrating renewable energy into steel and concrete production, the initiative points to reduced embodied carbon in materials and measurable carbon footprint reduction across high‑impact manufacturing. This shift aligns with broader goals around net zero Whole Life Carbon and low carbon design, marking a definitive step toward decarbonising the built environment.
The closure of blast furnaces at Port Talbot demonstrates structural change rather than incremental low‑impact construction, showing how carbon neutral construction can immediately cut regional emissions. The UK’s Defra Farming Roadmap 2050 is redefining the interface between agriculture and sustainable building design, promoting regenerative landscapes and infrastructure prepared for a climate‑adapted future. It supports the Circular Economy in construction by linking eco‑design for buildings with resource efficiency in construction and end‑of‑life reuse in construction, connecting rural resilience with low carbon building practices.
Growing investment in modular and offshore techniques reflects demand for Whole Life Carbon management and lifecycle assessment throughout supply chains. Training for energy‑efficient buildings and low embodied carbon materials is strengthening workforce capability, embedding life cycle thinking in construction and reinforcing sustainable material specification. Regulation is tightening around the environmental impact of construction, driving transparency through environmental product declarations (EPDs) and accountability consistent with breeam and breeam v7 performance criteria.
The conversation surrounding green construction is evolving from pilot schemes to long‑term policy alignment framed by Life Cycle Cost and circular construction strategies. The sector is adopting sustainable building practices that deliver measurable building lifecycle performance across net zero carbon buildings. As the tools for sustainable design move from concept to implementation, eco‑friendly construction underpinned by renewable building materials and green infrastructure is becoming integral to sustainable urban development and the future of low carbon construction materials.
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