ID:

248

Date:

2007-09-25

Headline:

Professor who relied on FOIA wins $500K 'genius grant'

Reporter's name:

David Montgomery

Delay/denial:

No

Lawsuit:

No

Fees:

No

Media outlet:

The Washington Post

City:

Washington DC

Summary:

Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards, who used FOIA to obtain documents showing elevated lead levels in water fountains in public schools in Washington, D.C., is one of 24 winners of $500,000 "genius" grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He will use his MacArthur Grant money to continue investigating water systems in D.C. and other cities, he told The Washington Post.

Keywords:

lead, drinking water, Virginia Tech, Marc Edwards, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, genius grants

Impact:

Edwards' work helped bring attention to the issue of lead-tainted water in drinking fountains in D.C. public schools. In May 2010, the Washington Post reported that Edwards finally obtained an admission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the agency had unjustifiably downplayed the risk of lead in the city's drinking water. See "Virginia Tech professor uncovered truth about lead in D.C. water," 5/23/10, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/22/AR2010052203447.html

URL:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/24/AR2007092402082.html

Agencies:

CDC
EPA

States:

DC
US
VA

Categories:

drinking water
public health