If you follow politics closely, you may remember that Republican elected officials wasted no time in using their new majority in the U.S. House of Representatives to waste everyone’s time. Instead of focusing on actual issues, Republican elected officials across the country have been doing their best to persuade Americans that the government is coming for their gas stoves. This is not true, but it is instructive. While Republicans tilt at windmills, Minnesota’s DFL-controlled legislature is taking concrete and tangible steps to improve public health by eliminating lead contamination in our drinking water. Once again, Republicans rage over a non-issue while DFLers are delivering.
Lead is toxic, dangerous, and a serious problem for many Americans. Lead generally finds its way into our drinking water because of outdated pipes. For example, small particles get knocked into drinking water when your home shakes because of a passing snow plow, train, or garbage truck. Unfortunately, this contamination method worsens as pipes age, releasing more and more lead.
When lead contamination is an issue on a property, the homeowners often aren’t even aware. Lead contamination is hard to spot; you can’t see, smell or taste its presence in your water. As a result, it’s easy to overlook. When lead contamination is detected, some homeowners are forced to forgo replacing old pipes because of the cost. The price of replacement can reach four figures. When you’re trying to put food on the table or put a kid through college, pipe replacement probably isn’t your top budgetary concern.
However, the consequences of ignoring the problem are dire, especially for Minnesota’s children. According to the Center for Disease Control, lead exposure in children causes damage to the brain, slowed growth, behavior problems and hearing issues. Recently, our state was ranked second-best to raise a child. Not only should we aim to preserve that status, but we should also try to improve it. Reducing childhood lead exposure is vital in achieving this goal, even if it’s not the flashiest issue.
Some studies have even linked lead exposure and the behavioral problems it causes to an increased likelihood of committing crimes. Reducing crime is a complex and multifaceted challenge. Providing law enforcement with the tools they need is certainly a big piece of the puzzle, and so is addressing the root causes of crime. Many of those root causes are complicated to tackle, but lead poisoning is not. Replacing lead pipes will improve both public health and public safety, which is all the more reason why Minnesota should tackle this now.
That is why Rep. Sydney Jordan’s (DFL-Minneapolis) bill aims to eliminate lead pipes in the next decade. Under her bill, Minnesota would establish a grant program to pay for some of the pipe replacement costs. DFLers are committed to addressing this potential problem swiftly before it harms more young people and robs them of a fair shot at success.
[image_caption]Ken Martin[/image_caption]
You generally won’t find talking heads on cable news discussing lead contamination. While lead poisoning can cause severe harm to young people, from brain damage to developmental and behavioral problems, its effects are often not immediately clear. It is a serious problem, but it’s not a flashy one.
DFLers are in office to tackle serious problems, not chase headlines. While Republicans try to gin-up fake outrage over gas stoves, DFLers will continue working here to get things done for families across Minnesota. That should start with making sure lead does not work its way into our drinking water.
Ken Martin is chair of the Minnesota DFL party.
No question about it, lead pipes are a very serious health hazard, especially for growing children. The author here clearly makes a partisan argument, but please note that lead pipe problems–and even more likely, lead paint problems–are found in old buildings and old neighborhoods where a conservative family might dwell.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety commissioner Richard Trumka Jr., a Biden appointee, said a gas stove ban was “on the table.” “This is a hidden hazard,” Trumka Jr. said of gas cooking. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
Well, yes the REPs/white nationalists/fascists are definitely trying to force their extreme agenda on us all and it is both incredibly dishonest & dangerous beyond belief…. But do know that the gas & additive(s) in our kitchens are also harmful in a myriad of ways, too. The canaries in the mindshaft of life–of which I am one, unfortunately–can attest to that:( And the various heat sources available for cooking foods don’t inordinately affect the final taste test, despite many ‘chefs’ protestations. Finally, we MUST get off fossil fuels and stop desecrating our earth if we hope to leave a still livable & sustainable planet for our grandkids. FULL STOP.
OK so do we want to ban gas stoves or not? I’m confused.
It’s too bad the DFL doesn’t focus on financing these kinds of worthwhile projects, instead of pissing an unbelievable money down the toilet on stuff like building a land bridge over I-94.
“A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action to address the pollution, which can cause health and respiratory problems. “This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
Given the radical nature of the Biden regime and the incompetents heading their agencies, it can’t be dismissed as casually as Mr. Martin would like us to.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears?leadSource=uverify%20wall
“Given the radical nature of the Biden regime and the incompetents heading their agencies…” Thanks, Dennis for providing my daily chuckle. Please explain how the Biden “regime” is radical, and who (and why) the administration’s agency heads are “incompetent.” Both might be true, but at this point, all you’re doing is casting aspersions without providing support.
The idea of you calling the center-right Biden administration radical while happily sharing ideology, policies, and candidates as overt white supremacists and fascists while supporting domestic terrorists is quite the statement. I guess anyone unwilling to lynch the vice president over election fraud lies might be a bit too Liberal for your taste.
As to gas stoves, I think most highly skilled cooks and chefs prefer them.
But: do they ever consider the longterm exposure & safety hazards??? This is their career/livelihood after all. But also we all really must stop making quick decisions based on personal preferences & opinions…and instead get back to safety issues for the masses longterm, using common sense, and just generally doing practical research then basing decisions on them. This winging things & ‘everything goes’ approach isn’t helping any of us…or the planet we ALL share…and need to pass on the the younger generations who need a safe place to live.
Gas stoves are mentioned only in the first couple of sentences as a way of leading into the main topic of the article.
How about some discussion of replacing pipes made with lead, a substance that has been known to be poisonous for millennia? How are we going to replace the lead pipes that still transmit an unsafe amount of our drinking water?
Thanks Ken! If only Congress and the President had done something about this the last two years we might be farther along. But the issue really should have come before abortion, drivers licenses for undocumented people, free school lunches, etc.
Apparently, you are conveniently unaware that the issue with lead pipes has been known for a lot longer than two years.