Watch: Burying the Lead: Effects of public lead service line replacements on blood lead levels and property values
In case you missed it, find here the recording of the seminar presentation held 1 October 2025.
Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Michelle M. Marcus | Vanderbilt University, United States. Moderator: Dist. Prof. Emer. Ariel Dinar | University of California, Riverside (UCR), United States.
Despite the well-known health consequences of lead exposure, an estimated 6 to 10 million lead service lines still deliver drinking water to homes throughout the United States. Disadvantaged communities are disproportionately exposed to lead service lines, contributing to health and human capital disparities. This paper studies the effects of public lead service line replacements on households using address-level data on children's blood lead levels, home sales, and public service line installations from Rhode Island. Replacements significantly reduced child blood lead levels by approximately 0.4 μg/dL, increased property values by 7–8%, and increased the probability of moving among renters. More
This seminar is part of the UCT-UCR Seminar Series: Water Economics and Politics, a collaboration between the University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of California, Riverside (UCR). Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates on upcoming sessions.