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    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-25-011",
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    "headline": "Lithium Exposure Appears in Western Tribal Water",
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    "dek": "Tap-water samples and long-running urine data point to persistent, geographically uneven exposure across participating communities.",
    "summary": "Tap-water samples and long-running urine data point to persistent, geographically uneven exposure across participating communities.",
    "body_text": "Columbia University researchers compared drinking-water samples collected from 2022 through 2024 with urinary lithium measurements gathered over 15 years in western U.S. Tribal communities. They found widespread exposure and substantial regional variation, consistent with water as a persistent source. The study maps exposure; it does not by itself establish a health effect or define a safe community-level threshold.",
    "why_it_matters": "Tap-water samples and long-running urine data point to persistent, geographically uneven exposure across participating communities.",
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      "The study maps exposure; it does not by itself establish a health effect or define a safe community-level threshold."
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    "first_published_at": "2026-07-25T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "qualification": "The study maps exposure; it does not by itself establish a health effect or define a safe community-level threshold."
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    "tags": [
      "drinking water",
      "lithium",
      "Tribal health"
    ],
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    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-25-011",
      "title": "Columbia University via EurekAlert: Lithium exposure in Tribal communities",
      "publisher": "Columbia University via EurekAlert",
      "url": "https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1137584",
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      "accessed_at": "2026-07-25T08:26:47.000-04:00",
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    "title": "Lithium Exposure Appears in Western Tribal Water",
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    "published_at": "2026-07-25T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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