EPA Tests Confirm , Filters Reduce Lead Levels , in Michigan City's Tap Water.<br />According to a study by state officials, the filters <br />distributed to Benton Harbor, Michigan, to manage <br />the city's recent lead water crisis are working properly. .<br />'SFGate' reports that the study <br />was aimed at reassuring residents. .<br />The study came after residents of Benton Harbor, <br />along with advocates, criticized the state's slow <br />response to the city's lead-contaminated water. .<br />We found that properly operated filters <br />were successful in reducing lead <br />considerably and consistently, Tera Fong, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's <br />water division regional director, via 'SFGate'.<br />However, the EPA also acknowledged that many <br />of the filters were not being used properly. .<br />'SFGate' reports that the filters were distributed after tests revealed dangerously high levels of lead in the tap water of Benton Harbor in 2019. .<br />According to the EPA, all samples from nearly <br />200 homes with properly installed filters <br />had levels of lead within federal guidelines. .<br />Exposure to lead can cause a number <br />of health problems, including slowed <br />cognitive development in young children. .<br />State officials said they would continue to distribute free bottled water until the city's lead water lines are replaced by the spring of 2023. .<br />State officials said they would continue to distribute free bottled water until the city's lead water lines are replaced by the spring of 2023. .<br />Marc A. Edwards, a water treatment researcher <br />at Virginia Tech, points out that relying on <br />bottled water is expensive and inconvenient. .<br />Once communities get on <br />to bottled water, it is a habit, <br />and it is hard to get off. , Marc A. Edwards, water treatment <br />researcher at Virginia Tech, via 'SFGate'
