PHILADELPHIA, April 4, 2016

Recent reports of harmful levels of lead in drinking water in Newark, N.J., and Flint, Mich., have caused people across the nation to question whether their own water supplies are contaminated.

In Philadelphia, where some households have lead pipes, City Council was told that in cases where children were found to have lead exposure, drinking water was not the culprit. So is Philadelphia’s drinking water safe?

A panel of experts will discuss the issue on Tuesday, May 3, at the next Town Square by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. The event, titled “What’s in Our Water?” is free and begins at 6:30 p.m. To register, visit http://bit.ly/1UIMu2p.

The program features guest speaker Debra McCarty, new Commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department. She will be followed by a panel of experts including Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Director for Clean Water Action, and Jerry Fagliano, MPH, PhD, Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. The discussion will be moderated by David Velinsky, PhD, Vice President of Science at the Academy of Natural Sciences and head of the Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science at Drexel.

Drinking water touches all aspects of public water supply, raising questions about aging infrastructure, source water quality, system management, and environmental justice. The speakers will discuss what is being done in Philadelphia and the region to protect drinking water.

Town Square is the Academy's series of free public panel discussions and speaker presentations about important science and environmental issues affecting the Philadelphia region and beyond. "What's in Our Water?" is sponsored by Warren Environmental Counsel LLP.

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