Millions exposed to dangerous lead levels in US drinking water, report finds

New report says Flint water crisis is not an anomaly, as analysis reveals 5,363 water systems - providing drinking water to 18 million - breached federal laws

More than 18 million Americans are served drinking water by providers that have violated federal laws concerning lead in water, with only a tiny proportion of offenses resulting in any penalty, a new report has found.

The toxic water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is "not anomalous", the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) report states, with widespread violations of national rules designed to protect people from lead, a known neurotoxin that is harmful even in small doses.