In January 2016 a US federal state of emergency was declared in Flint Michigan due to elevated lead concentration in the city’s drinking water. This presentation gives an overview of the Flint lead crisis and how regulation was insufficient to protect public health given human error and omission. Comparisons will be made to the Canadian regulatory system and a discussion of the role of lead monitoring in drinking water and blood lead surveillance in Canada will be presented. Effective mitigation strategies for lead in drinking water and implications for public health inspector practice in Canada will be discussed.

The views and opinions expressed by invited webinar presenters do not necessarily reflect those of the NCCEH and our funder, the Public Health Agency of Canada.