In the coming years, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to replace all of the country’s lead pipes. This decision was driven by a cost-benefit analysis conducted by Ronnie Levin in 2023, which highlighted the negative health effects and financial costs associated with lead in drinking water.
Levin, an instructor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s department of environmental health, has dedicated much of her career to advocating for lead mitigation. She was astonished when the EPA agreed to such an ambitious goal, given her past work at the agency in the 1980s that revealed that a fifth of Americans were consuming unsafe levels of lead in their water. This analysis played a significant role in the development of a 1991 rule aimed at reducing lead and copper in drinking water.
Levin attributes the speed of change to President Biden’s focus on lead and her deep understanding of the EPA. By strategically utilizing the EPA’s own data, assumptions, and estimates, Levin was able to make a compelling case for lead mitigation. The cost-benefit analysis showed that addressing lead in American water could save over $8 billion annually in health benefits and at least $2 billion in infrastructure costs, with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 35 to 1. This was significantly higher than previous estimates made by Levin and her collaborator Joel Schwartz in 2023, which had a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2 to 1.
While she is pleased with the new rule, Levin emphasizes that enacting rules alone is not sufficient. She stresses the importance of effective implementation and enforcement, pointing out that little progress will be made without these crucial components in place.
In conclusion, Ronnie Levin’s cost-benefit analysis played a significant role in driving the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to replace all of its lead pipes within this decade. Her dedication and expertise have been instrumental in advocating for lead mitigation throughout her career, highlighting its adverse effects on human health and finances.
