Is the Coast Guard right in assuming the lead will be harmless?
A. No. The lead will dissolve. It’s just a question of how quickly. Once it dissolves, it will be carried wherever the currents take it. As for what amount of lead will get into your drinking water, and what quantity of lead the fish and other animals will eat, depends upon a lot of things, including how well your water is filtered. Historically, lots of chemicals have been dumped in the lakes and the oceans on the assumption that they wouldn’t hurt anything. People have died and gotten sick and continue to do so, because these assumptions were wrong.
