City should move more quickly to get lead out of Chicago’s drinking water

Workers use a boring machine to install a new water pipe to replace an old lead-based pipe in the Oakland neighborhood on Nov. 30. (Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times)

Chicago needs to get the lead out a lot faster than it has done so far.

The city has the nation’s most serious problem with lead in drinking water. No level of lead in water is safe. Even at low levels, lead can harm kidneys and developing brains, leading to lower IQs, hearing loss and learning and behavior issues.