US government declares emergency in Virgin Islands over devastating lead water contamination

President Joe Biden has declared an emergency for lead-in-water contamination in the US Virgin Islands following alarming test results on St. Croix.

As reported by the Associated Press, the test levels exceeded the EPA limits by over 100 times, making it one of the worst lead contaminations seen in decades in a US community.

Residents were advised to stop using their taps, and bottled water distribution began.

However, experts have expressed their concerns to the publication on the accuracy of the results as they do not meet EPA standards with further tests being conducted to identify the root cause.

The situation has added to the challenges faced by St. Croix residents, who have already been dealing with the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, the pandemic, and previous water contamination from a refinery.