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.
Saving the ‘sky puppies’: How one wildlife rehabilitator is working to rescue bats in Pa.
WHYY·
In the face of devastating population loss throughout the region, every bat that the Pennsylvania Bat Conservation and Rehabilitation is able to save is making a difference.
Artifact or trash? Thoughts on what we leave behind.
A writer has collected found items on her Westmoreland County farm for decades.
Carnegie Mellon research is behind a new global map of air pollution
Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab partnered with a nonprofit to build an animated map that shows how particle pollution spreads from 9,560 industrial sources in urban areas around the world.
Episode for November 7, 2025
The Pennsylvania natural gas company CNX is suing a California-based news outlet for defamation in federal court over an article the news site published about the company’s voluntary air monitoring initiative. A fungal disease has been killing hibernating bats in Pennsylvania. We'll hear from some of the people trying to save bats in the state. A group of seniors is using their retirement to track microplastics in streams and in the lab. A writer contemplates the legacy of the trash she finds on her Westmoreland County farm.
CNX sues nonprofit news outlet for defamation over fracking coverage
Natural gas company CNX is suing Capital & Main for defamation in federal court for its article about the company’s air monitoring initiative.
Pa. attorney general files criminal charge against fracking company
The charges allege that Seneca Resources polluted water in eight counties. The company says it is working with the state to reach a “reasonable resolution.”
