Drinking water at a council estate in north Dublin has been found to have levels of lead contamination that are unsafe for children, according to researchers.
The Unleading Irish Water project at University College Dublin (UCD) conducted testing in collaboration with residents and members of the Community Action Tenants Union Ireland (CATU) in response to concerns about the quality of drinking water at Cromcastle Court in Kilmore.
The results found lead contamination in 11 out of 29 households, with concentrations of up to 3.9 micrograms per litre.
Lead in domestic drinking water is a health hazard, particularly for young children, according to the UCD project.
RM Block
“It has serious effects on the development of children’s brains, leading to long-term problems with learning, behaviour and attention. There is no safe level of exposure to lead,” a statement on the project’s website says.
Dr Jeremy Auerbach, the lead researcher on the Unleading Irish Water project, said: “These results are concerning ... generations of children living in Cromcastle Court and across the Island have needlessly been exposed to a toxic neurochemical.”
The contamination is thought to come from lead pipes commonly used up to the late 1970s, the period in which Cromcastle Court was built.
“Removing the pipes should be a top priority as the State has the remit to safeguard current and future residents,” said Dr Auerbach, who works at UCD’s School of Geography.
There is a local authority programme that provides grants of up to €5,000 to households to replace lead pipes.
However, local authority tenants are not eligible to apply and instead must rely on their landlord, in this case Dublin City Council, to address any issues, CATU said in a statement.
When the union asked the council about water quality at the estate, the council said it had previously carried out testing of the water supply for microorganisms and bacterial contamination, but not heavy metals such as lead.
“It’s just not acceptable that the tenants here have to worry about their children drinking water from the taps,” Helen Moynihan of CATU said.
The Irish Times has previously reported on a survey that found most residents of Cromcastle Court believe their poor living conditions were having a bad effect on their mental and physical health.
More than 90 per cent of residents said they were affected by at least two or more of the following issues: mould and damp, leaks, problems with heating and hot water, pest infestations, overcrowding, damage to windows and doors, and poor water quality.
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The apartment blocks have been blighted by structural and safety issues over many years, with three of the eight blocks remaining vacant since 2018 when serious structural safety issues were found.
A regeneration project for the scheme was drafted by Dublin City Council but has been subject to repeated delays.
