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, 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, it’s 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 — 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 — a process that can analyze samples quickly and with super-accurate results.
The search for a solution to an irritating plague: swimmer’s itch
Ron Reimink knew how uncomfortable and annoying swimmer’s itch could be. He spent much of his career trying to eradicate it in lakes. Then one day, he realized he was completely wrong.
Episode for July 4, 2025
Swimmer's itch is a rash you can get from swimming in lakes,so researchers working in the Great Lakes have tried to eradicate it by treating ducks that carry the parasite that causes it. Nothing worked, and people have started thinking about the problem of wimmer's itch differently. It has been five years since a Pennsylvania grand jury report slammed state regulators for not protecting residents from the impacts of fracking. Advocates want Governor Josh Shapiro to do more. Environmental groups will soon be canvassing Southwestern Pennsylvania on foot, by car, and by drone in an effort to find abandoned oil and gas wells.
Recreational barge comes to Pittsburgh’s North Side to bring people to the riverfront
Shore Thing, a 4,800 square foot recreational barge, will offer food, drinks, live music, yoga classes and more along Pittsburgh's North Shore.
Court rules against Allegheny County township that allowed fracking near homes
If an appeal fails, the company may be required to remove the gas well in Elizabeth Township. One lawyer says the new legal approach could be applied to other municipalities.
Boots and drones deployed in hunt for orphan gas wells in Southwestern Pa.
Old wells pose health and safety risks by leaking pollutants that can contaminate groundwater and impact air quality.
A Pennsylvania fracking report had 8 recommendations. 5 years later, few have been implemented
In 2020, Josh Shapiro, then Pa.'s AG, released a landmark report with recommendations on regulating fracking. Advocates say he has done little to advance them.
