Why do you believe this was malicious and/or explicitly to make money? The use of lead pipes was a well established practice that started in the early 1800s and continued until the federal government banned them in 1986.
The original people involved had no awareness of the danger. As awareness grew, you could make the case that people in the 80s could have stopped installing these pipes sooner, but by then, most of the system was already in place and the continued installations were based on 150+ years of precedent and policy.
A majority of the decision makers (not necessarily just politicians) responsible for the policies and a majority of the pipes are dead.
The exemption is a matter of pure practicality. There are only so many crews capable of doing this work and so much of the water system that can be disrupted at one time.
The original people involved had no awareness of the danger. As awareness grew, you could make the case that people in the 80s could have stopped installing these pipes sooner, but by then, most of the system was already in place and the continued installations were based on 150+ years of precedent and policy.
A majority of the decision makers (not necessarily just politicians) responsible for the policies and a majority of the pipes are dead.
The exemption is a matter of pure practicality. There are only so many crews capable of doing this work and so much of the water system that can be disrupted at one time.