Revealed: US cities refusing to replace toxic lead water pipes unless residents pay

A Guardian investigation finds pipes are only replaced at homeowners' cost, and removal work risked causing increase of lead in water

Elena Bautista didn't pay much attention to the work crews that rolled down her street last year. They planned to remove water pipes made of lead, a toxin that can permanently damage children's brains.

But they skipped the tenement building where Bautista and her two kids lived.