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Dr. Frank Stillo, research manager for the MacDonald Gibson Research Group at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Drew Griggs, a junior chemistry major at UNC, were on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to invite local residents to participate in a private well survey.
Stillo, who recently received his Ph.D. in public health from UNC, has been studying disparities in drinking water since early 2014.
He is particularly interested in how lead exposure involving residents with private wells affects children under the age of 7 in predominantly African-American communities. Lead is a neurotoxin, and young children are especially sensitive to the damage overexposure can cause to their still-developing brains, Stillo explained.
Griggs, son of Greg and Melanie Griggs of Henderson, attended a lead exposure seminar this summer held by the Gibson Research Group and said he was motivated to apply for a position as part of Stillo’s survey team.
The study group is seeking 300 households who use private well water and have a child under the age of seven living in the home.
Participants will receive the benefit of a well water test, dust testing, lead blood testing for their child provided by a licensed UNC phlebotomist, a consultation on ways to mediate lead issues if discovered and a $75 cash gift card – all free of charge.
In a small Wake County study of 29 cohorts completed a few years back, Stillo said a research team found that 28% of participating households with a well had elevated levels of lead in their drinking water. In running a variety of tests, Stillo said the team concluded that the majority of lead issues arose from plumbing structures inside the home.
“When you have water that is stagnant in your plumbing system and it doesn’t have a chance to get treated like those on the public water system, it will leach the lead out of the different metals in your system. When I had the same problem, I reached out to 24 Hour Emergency Plumbing Services near me and asked them to fix the plumbing,” said Stillo.
Factors such as the age of the house, age of plumbing materials and components of piping and connectors, also affect the level of lead exposure.
“Another reason well water has higher levels of lead is that residents with wells are stewards of their own water systems, whereas people on the public system have someone with technical expertise looking after their best interests,” Stillo said. “People on a public system are constantly having their water tested. Many on private wells don’t know to test their well water or what to test for and often don’t understand the effects of contaminants.”
Griggs said he is excited to be a part of this drinking water survey that can bring awareness to his hometown and took the first step in informing the community by reaching out to WIZS for an on-air interview.
“There are a lot of different ways to serve people; I’m really fortunate to have found an outlet to do so at UNC, especially one that can help a small, underserved community like Henderson.”
To learn more about the survey, please visit https://gillingswellwater.web.unc.edu/, email gillingswellwater@unc.edu or call (919) 843-5786.
To hear the interview with Stillo and Griggs in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.