Stories in the series:
New PA Bill Would Require Schools to Test for Lead in Water
The bill would require both public and private schools test for lead every two years, and install filters or other fixes for any level greater than 5 parts per billion.
Latest Round of Testing Shows Lead Levels High Again in Pittsburgh Water
PWSA plans to add a chemical to the water that is expected to bring lead levels down in homes known to have lead pipes or solder,Ā though there is no known safe level of lead in water.
Pittsburgh Struggles to Fix Its Lead Problem
Like a lot of other cities, Pittsburgh has to deal with its antiquated lead water lines. The state says so. But how?
Teens Earn and Learn While Educating Their Neighbors About Lead Exposure
For some teenagers in Pittsburgh, a summer job means helping their community solve its problems with lead.
Deciphering “lead free” labels at the store isn’t always easy
Old pipes aren't the only way lead can get into your drinking water. The faucets and fittings and solder on the pipes inside your house can also contain lead. But if you want to replace older plumbing, itās not always easy to find the right products at the hardware store.
If You Think You Have Lead Paint in Your Home, Here’s What To Do About It
If you have an older home, there's a pretty good chance you also have lead paint. But there are some simple things you can do to keep your family safe.
What Do You Do When Your Child Has High Lead Levels?
First things first ā don't panic. There is plenty you can do to protect your children, and if you take the necessary steps, most kids recover just fine.
What’s the Most Effective Way to Get Lead Out of Your Water?
Filters? Flushing your water line for a few minutes? Or total water line replacement? We dig into the best options for homeowners.
As in Flint, Cost-Cutting May Be to Blame for Pittsburgh’s High Lead Levels
The decision to switch to a cheaper, less-effective treatment chemical was likely a major contributor to the recent spike in lead levels in Pittsburgh's drinking water.
What’s the Best Way to Protect People from Lead-Tainted Drinking Water?
Some say it's better corrosion control. Others say it's getting lead service lines out of the system altogether. But many observers agree that current federal regulations are totally inadequate.
Pittsburgh Tried To Get Homeowners To Replace Their Lead Service Lines. Only One Person Did.
A pilot project in Lawrenceville highlights the complexity of getting lead pipes out of the city's water system.
Here’s What Happens Inside a Lab Testing Pittsburghers’ Water For Lead
Some fancy science, that's what. As in some inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy ā a process that can analyze samples quickly and with super-accurate results.
Trump rollbacks keep new clean air rules out of Pittsburgh’s Mon Valley
New air pollution rules for steel plants including the Clairton Coke Works have been paused for at least two years.
Episode for May 22, 2026
This week, a special show of award-winning and recognized stories. What advocates and residents who live near U.S. Steel plants are saying about the Trump administration's policies on the pollution drifting into their communities. A nature preserve is dedicated to saving an ancient creature that lives in our region: the hellbender salamander. The Monongahela River has been ā and still is ā an industrial river. That doesnāt stop people from using it for recreation, like swimming.
EPA announces $39M to Pa. for PFAS in drinking water while rolling back PFAS limits
A clean water group says it feels like "hypocrisy."
The swimmers who take on the Mon, together
Theyāve dubbed themselves the Monāster Swimmers, and they brave the waters of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh together from spring until fall.
Bringing life back to Dunkard Creek, one mussel at a time
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is stocking mussels in Dunkard Creek 16 years after pollution annihilated life in the stream.
Hellbenders share spotlight with Abraham Lincoln at new nature preserveĀ
A new preserve in Ohio is named for the salamanders that live there also highlights the history of early American railroads.
