[mikeyouse]

Lead was the common material for pipes until the 1950s and was only banned in the US in the mid 1980's. Most of the infrastructure in the US was built during the industrial revolution around the turn of the century, so most of that infrastructure is lead. If the water is treated properly (with very low levels of extremely cheap chemicals), these pipes are completely safe. It was estimated that spending $150/day in Flint would have prevented the crisis.