If you're a regular listener of the Tip-Off, you'll know by now that inspiration can come from any number of places.

A news story, a leaked document, or from less obvious locations.

This one falls under the category of just personal lived experience.

So I was the father of a young daughter. I was hyper conscious of her protection,

and I was reading about all the various things that can pose threats to young children. And so

I stumbled on an article about this in one of these parenting magazines that I was reading.

I'm Mayf McClendigan. This is the tip-off. this in one of these parenting magazines that I was reading.

I'm Mayf McClendigan. This is the Cribb. I'm an investigative reporter at the Toronto Star.

Rob is also the founder and director of the Investigative Journalism Bureau, based at the University of Toronto.

He's worked on incredible investigations in his time and is used to immersing himself in long, complex reports.

But it was in a parenting magazine that he came across a worrying detail

that would set him off on a year's long investigation.

You see, that article was all about...

Lead and water, which continues to be a nagging problem,

certainly here in North American, I think, around the world.

And we are talking about the knowing, poisoning of children

with a substance that can diminish IQ,

lead to lifelong behavioral issues, hypertension, prenatal issues. I mean, a list of symptoms is

breathtaking and horrifying. The negative impact extended to adults too, with high lead levels

being linked to miscarriage, preterm birth, hypertension, and premature deaths from cardiovascular

disease. Like many people, Robert heard about the dangerous levels of lead in water,

in places like Flint, Michigan, and the USA.

...