The mayor’s office seeks to downplay a just-released study that found high levels of lead in nearly 20 percent of city homes that were tested.

The mayor said he understands the seriousness of homelessness and the city’s lead pipes, but he doesn’t think homeowners should be treated “as an ATM machine.”

City Council members tackle a $2 billion problem they say they can no longer avoid. But how will it be paid for?

A Bensenville-based home renovation company has agreed to pay nearly $53,000 for alleged violations of federal laws designed to protect against exposure to lead-based paint. 

If successful, the portable, smartphone-sized sensor will measure human exposure to toxic metals like lead and manganese using a single finger prick of blood  – and deliver results in minutes.

Water testing at a Chicago day care center showed at least one sample 16 times higher than the lead level allowed in bottled water, according to a new report from an environmental watchdog group. 

Chicagoans may soon find drinking fountains at their local parks have been shut off, removed or simply won’t stop flushing water. WBEZ reporter Monica Eng is covering the story and joins us with details.

Why so many Chicago homes are testing high for lead in their water – and what you can do about it.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told representatives of a children’s health group last week that he wants to eliminate lead from drinking water within 10 years, but he has yet to offer a strategy to meet the goal.

Children on Chicago’s Southeast Side have higher levels of manganese in their toenails than children in other parts of the city, according to preliminary results of a study aiming to measure the impact of toxic metals on children’s health. 

Since 2010, the EPA has cited an East Chicago steelmaking facility six times for violations of the Clean Air Act. Now, a group representing nearby residents intends to sue EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over the renewal of the company’s operating permit.

Chicago researchers are looking for lead, manganese and other metals that could affect lung function in children with asthma. 

Elevated lead levels have been found in hundreds of water fixtures in Illinois’ second largest public school district following an initial round of testing earlier this year.

A new $450,000 federal grant program partners CPS students with university professors to study the impact of toxic metals on Chicago neighborhoods. 

Issues impacting the Great Lakes and communities surrounding the massive freshwater system will be at the center of a two-day conference in Chicago starting Wednesday.

Organizers of a clean water summit in Chicago next week hope to draft a plan for replacing the city's nearly 400,000 lead water pipes.