Around 300 Nueces County children under the age of 6 — and potentially hundreds more — had high levels of lead in their blood between 2012 and 2017, and at least 50 more children experience lead poisoning each year, according to an analysis by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The League of Women Voters of Corpus Christi presented the findings of that study to the Nueces County commissioners’ court this week.
The presentation also showed that, as recently as 2019, the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi’s Child Development Center had a higher level of lead in its water than federal regulations allow.
Congress banned the use of lead pipes in 1986, but those already in use were allowed to remain. Nearly all buildings constructed before that year have either lead pipes or lead solder in their plumbing systems, meaning people who drink water from faucets or fountains in those buildings could be exposed to the contaminant.
What is lead poisoning?
The groups at greatest risk are infants, children, and pregnant or nursing women. Lead poisoning in children can cause problems with mental health, behavior and learning abilities, and those issues can persist later in life.
Because the League could not access confidential medical records, it was unclear whether the children were exposed to lead through water or other carriers, such as paint, said Kathryn Oler, president of the Corpus Christi League.
The League submitted 44 ZIP codes in the county for the Department of State Health Services epidemiologist to analyze. The department found 27 ZIP codes with children who had elevated blood lead levels, and representatives of the League presented data for the 12 codes with the highest rates.
Only a small fraction of children who are exposed to lead get tested, Oler said, so there are likely many more cases that have not been confirmed.
The ZIP code with the highest number of children with lead poisoning — 50 to 53 — was 78415, from the area of Del Mar College down south to Chapman Ranch. Much of the housing in that area was built around 1942.
The second-highest number, 30 to 33, was in the Robstown ZIP code of 78380.
Of 44 ZIP codes in Nueces County, the 12 codes shown in this chart had the highest numbers of children under the age of 6 with confirmed cases of lead poisoning from 2012 to 2017, according to an analysis by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The League of Women Voters of Corpus Christi submitted the ZIP codes to the department for analysis.
What does the law require?
Federal regulations require water systems to keep lead levels under 15 parts per billion — though that standard is not “health based,” Oler said during the meeting, because any amount of lead is toxic. No water system in Texas has a lower standard for lead levels, something the League is pushing to be reformed.
The city of Corpus Christi’s water system is in compliance, Oler said during the presentation. The city’s highest lead level was 23.8 parts per billion in July 2012.