The IU campus might as well be Flint, Michigan

A map of lead exposure risk levels shows Bloomington ranks a ten out of ten for danger

As it turns out, Flint doesn’t have a national monopoly when it comes to lead hazards.

Vox and the Washington State Department of Health collaborated to develop an interactive map of lead exposure risk across the United States.

The academic and residential sections of campus — from the fanciest frat castle to the rattiest residence hall — are hotbeds of high potential lead exposure according to the map.

Spaces off campus aren’t excluded either. Downtown Bloomington — you know, where your favorite restaurants and bars are located — also scored a ten for lead exposure risk factors. The Villas are in the same sorry situation — but is anyone surprised? Students living in the south west are also out of luck.

The risk decreases as you go further east, though. The region east of campus is at seven and even six past college mall. Still not terrific, but better than ten, right? The same goes for areas along the areas west of Bloomfield Road where many other students reside.

Snapshot of the IU campus and surrounding residential areas from the Vox lead exposure map

The map scales the risk of exposure from one to ten with ten being the greatest risk of exposure. It’s not surprising to see urban cities like New York and Chicago as areas of high risk.

So what does this mean for us? The research team used different data sources to devise the map. Sources of concern tend to be older buildings more likely to have lead paint as well as more impoverished areas. Seeing as the campus isn’t an “impoverished area” exactly, it’s more likely linked to more material concerns. The high risk indicated on this map does not directly guarantee people living in more hazardous zones will suffer from lead poisoning. It is a measurement of different factors contributing to the problem and the degree to which they pose a threat.

But in the case of our campus of historic buildings, it is not hard to understand why the map places Bloomington as a high risk zone. Though understandable, the issue of lead exposure in a community that houses so many people is definitely concerning.

It was just a couple of months ago when the city of Flint, Michigan declared a state of emergency due to highly toxic levels of lead in its water.

Lead in water poses a serious health threat, especially the younger you are. Several lawsuits and investigations later, the Flint crisis is still ongoing and efforts are being made every day to get healthy water to the citizens.

While there is no immediate threat or danger to the city of Bloomington, we certainly hope local officials continue to be vigilant and are quick to apply preventive measures when necessary to keep our campus and city and safe and healthy.

And just to be safe, there’s no better time than now to invest in a good water filter.

 

UPDATE: This article has been updated 10:00 AM of 04/12/2016 to reflect that the lead exposure risk factors apparent in the map aren’t explicitly linked to water.

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