Ensuring access to sufficient, safe drinking water has been an essential function of public health and health care professionals around the world for more than a century. Those who manage water utilities play a central role. However, state and local health officials and health care professionals also need to be involved.    

Fundamentally, the impetus for a full lead service line replacement program is to protect human health and development.  While planning and implementing a program involves many professions, public health and health care professionals should be essential members of the team leading the effort to ensure no one loses sight of this ultimate goal. 
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​When it comes to lead, community leaders and drinking water professionals need the guidance and support from public health and health care professionals who have greater expertise and experience in lead poisoning prevention, community engagement, and risk communication.
Event: Drinking Water and Lead Service Lines - Partnering to Protect Public Health
Learn about the health risk of LSLs, the role of public health professionals in the replacement process, and the importance of effective partnerships.
Public health and health care professionals can help communities accelerate lead service line replacement by:
  • Offering information on children’s blood lead levels in a community to set priorities and providing ongoing surveillance to track progress;
  • Serving as a trusted voice to the community and consumers;
  • Intervening with residents to reduce risk to vulnerable populations, especially infants, and assisting with skilled risk communications;​​
  • Providing a bridge to reach pediatric health care professionals and the broader healthcare community;
  • Supporting health components of proposals to funders, elected officials and other   community leaders; and
  • Advising on best practices to reduce the risks posed by lead.​
          
To be effective, public health and health care professionals need to understand the unpredictable nature of the risks posed by lead service lines and the limitation of water testing to assess those risks.
 
Additional Resources from the Collaborative:
Additional External Resources: 
​Access to public water
​sources that are safe and reliable is crucial for the health and prosperity of a society
​- Centers for Disease Control and       
   Prevention
Webinars:
See other Spanish resources.