A review on the potential lead pollution in domestic water use in the State of Mississippi.

Not so long ago, the city of Jackson, Mississippi, was overwhelmed by severe water challenges following the failure of the city's largest water treatment plant. This failure led to acute water shortage, with most of the residents being unable to access clean tap water. Several of the communities that had running tap water had to subject the water to boiling in order to perform domestic tasks such as bathing or cleaning, as the water was generally unsafe and consisted of dirt and soil sediments. The breakdown in the water treatment plant is largely attributed to severe storms, which led to the flooding of the Pearl River, which serves as the source of the Jackson, Mississippi water system. Although the storms and floods were a significant factor, the Jackson water system has long been subjected to a culture of neglect and poor maintenance. The poor maintenance culture poses a significant public health threat, and it causes the old, rusty water pipelines to leach lead over time, and this has severe health implications. This paper presents a literature review on the potential for lead pollution in domestic water use within the southern state of Mississippi, and it highlights the existing legislation from agencies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which exists to address such problems. This paper further discusses some potential health implications of lead toxicity, such as elevated blood pressure, renal impairments, and even death in very severe cases.