Lead in Water Problems | BeCause Water

Lead in Water in Schools: Top 7 Most Frequently Asked Questions

by Ian Zoundi | Mar 5, 2019 | Lead in Water Problems

March, 2019

Whether your a school administrator, teacher, or concerned parent, the topic of lead in drinking water can be very concerning, overwhelming, and complex. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, whose mission is to help communities improve access to clean drinking water, we have fielded many questions regarding this topic and for that reason have decided to provide answers for the most popular questions.

Did we miss any questions that are important to you? Leave a comment below and we’ll do our best to respond with an answer immediately.

Q: Are schools required to test for water in lead?

A: The majority of schools are not legally required to test their drinking water for lead. This, along with lack of funding and education for water infrastructure, is arguably the top reason why there is a lead crisis in US schools. If it weren’t for the media attention in Flint, MI, there could still be very little awareness about the issue.

Fortunately, there is progress on the horizon as states and municipalities are beginning to establish their own regulations for testing drinking water for lead. Illinois, New Jersey, and New York are some of the first states to implement new policies.

Q: How bad is the lead in water situation in schools.

A: Richard Maas, the former Co-director of the Environmental Quality Institute of the University of North Carolina-Asheville, estimates that if samples were taken at every school tap in the US, 10-20% would test positive for lead. Combing the probability of finding lead in school’s water with the fact that children are at the highest health risk, is cause for major concern. Although lead in water in schools may not yet be a mainstream media topic, it is an extremely pressing issue.

Q: Is flushing a safe method to remediate lead in drinking water?

A: Although it is common to see schools use flushing as a way to address their lead problem, it is NOT a safe method. New research out of Polytechnique Montreal in Quebec, Canada shows that unsafe lead levels return as soon as 15-20 minutes after flushing.

Q: What level of lead in water is considered safe?

A: There is conflicting messaging from some of the leading governing bodies about this question, but overall it is agreed that there is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Many are confused about this topic because the EPA sets the action level for lead in water at 15 ppb, but at the same time states that there is no safe level of lead in drinking water.

As the old adage in the medical world goes, “the poison is in the dose.” If lead levels above 1 ppb are exposed to young children or pregnant mothers, then there is cause for concern.

Q: What is the best way to solve the lead problem in schools?

A: There are two main methods that we would recommend schools to consider when it comes to lead remediation, although only one is likely feasible for most schools.

The first option to consider is remediation through removing the source of lead, which is either the service line, internal piping, or lead-bound fixture. While this solution is very effective, the problem is that it can be extremely expensive and take a year or so to complete.

The second option to consider is now the most popular, which is point-of-use (POU) filtration. Elkay, the leading manufacturer for drinking fountains and bottle fillers, uses point-of-use, filters that are effective and accommodate the drinking water setup of schools.

Q: What are the health dangers of lead in water?

A: Lead is harmful to various aspects of human health, especially in children, and can result in lowered IQ, behavioral problems, brain damage, and more.

Q: As a school, how can I test my drinking water for lead?

A: The best way to test school’s drinking water for lead is to work with a state-certified lab. The EPA’s website provides a list of certified labs by state. It is also becoming common for states or cities to have free testing programs so it would be wise to first check with your local agencies.

The Health Dangers of Lead in School Drinking Water

by Ian Zoundi | Jul 11, 2018 | Lead in Water Problems

July, 2018

A recent surge of awareness has struck the United State’s school system with a public health problem that many were led to believe was solved several decades ago. The problem is lead — a toxin that has entered the drinking water of an estimated 10-20% of public school systems in the US, according to Richard Maas, the former Co-director of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

Lead is harmful to various aspects of human health, especially in children, and can result in lowered IQ, behavioral problems, and brain damage. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Given the severity and commonality of this issue, it is imperative that schools prioritize this immediately to ensure the safety and well-being of their students and staff.

How Does Lead Enter My School’s Water?

First, it is important to note that there is no direct federal law that mandates US schools to test their building’s water for lead. This may come as a surprise, but the only test required from a federal level is under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA), which only covers the testing conducted at the local treatment center as well as a small number of random tests conducted throughout the community.

There are some policy changes occurring from a state and district level. For example, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo implemented legislation that requires every New York school district to test their water for lead. However, for most other schools, it’s their decision whether or not to test the water for unsafe levels of lead.

The challenge is identifying the source of lead, which typically derives from the distribution system, as opposed to the public water source. What’s most common is lead leaching into water from the service line (the intermediary pipe between the school building and public main), the internal pipes, or fixtures. While one can consume lead through a number of sources, the EPA estimates that about 20% or more of a person’s total exposure comes from drinking water.

What Are the Health Effects of Consuming Lead in Drinking Water?

It’s long been known that lead is a health toxin with a myriad of dangerous symptoms, especially to young children.

Lead is persistent and bioaccumulates in the body. Upon making its way into the body, it competes for absorption with calcium, where it is eventually sent to the brain, liver, kidney and bones before its final storing center in the teeth and bones.

When it reaches the brain, lead impacts the frontal cortex. And although the degree and symptoms of health effects vary based on age, sex and lead levels in the body, the clear constant is that lead interferes with memory storage, brain signals and cellular energy production, often resulting in behavior problems, life-threatening cognitive disabilities, and lower IQs.

The more researchers learn about lead and its negative effects to the brain, the more it’s being considered a serious problem.

The following is a list of some of the other potential health effects from lead consumption:

Compromised central nervous system.
Pica.
Mood disorders.
Loss of appetite.
Death.
Probable carcinogenic effects.
Organ failure.
Convulsions.
Hearing loss.
Cramps.
Fatigue.
Flu-like symptoms.
Gastrointestinal problems.
Constipation.
Insomnia.

Who Is at the Greatest Risk?

Young Children, Infants and Fetuses

Lead levels that would have minimal damage to an adult can pose significant threats on a child. Children represent 80% of all lead-related disease, with a projected 600,000 cases of child cognitive disabilities.

Why are young children so vulnerable?

Children, compared to adults, absorb 4-5 times more lead from a given source. Lead exposure in children has been linked to the following health effects:

Damage to central and peripheral nervous system.
Learning disabilities.
Stunted growth.
Hearing loss.
Compromised blood cell function.
Lower IQ and hyperactivity.
Anemia
In rare cases, seizures, coma and death.

Much of these problems could be avoided if greater attention was placed on prevention, so perhaps the fact that there is an economic case may accelerate change. A 1987 study reported that reducing lead levels below the Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) would save $400 million a year. A more recent cost-benefit report suggested a $17-$220 return for every dollar spent, which compares to the public health ROI of some vaccines.

Pregnant Mothers

Lead consumption is especially of concern for pregnant women because it can cascade to a newborn. Given that lead stores in the bones along with calcium, during pregnancy it leaves the bones as a material calcium to grow the bones of the fetus.

Lead can also spread through the placenta and breast milk and can result in the following health effects:

Stunted growth of fetus.
Premature birth.

Schools

There are many reasons why schools are at high risk for lead in drinking water exposure.

Unfortunately, much of the US public school system has been neglected in terms of funding, so should we expect anything different when we combine tight budgets, no federal testing regulation and an overall lack of awareness?

Unless they were built in 2014 or later, schools are not considered “lead free” by today’s latest EPA standards. Instead, their plumbing materials may contain dangerous levels of lead.

Perhaps there is some positivity on the horizon as many states are addressing the lead issue by providing grants for lead testing and remediation.

How Can I Find Out If I’ve Consumed Lead?

If you’re looking to find out whether you’ve consumed lead, it is recommended to consult with a pediatrician for a complete evaluation.

Blood tests are the most common method and measures the amount of lead in your blood.

X-ray methods are also used for detecting lead in teeth or bones, but these practices are not yet widely accessible.

The CDC says that levels of lead detected in blood above 5 micrograms per deciliter are grounds for “blood lead level of concern” for children from the ages of 1-5 years. This standard recently became more stringent, as the previous threshold was marked at 10 micrograms per deciliter.

The CDC also states that no medical treatment is recommended for children who have blood lead levels under 45 micrograms per deciliter.

Can I Treat Lead Poisoning?

While there is no treatment for low levels of lead in the blood, there are some treatments available for very high levels of lead in the blood.

Chelation therapy is one method where the chemical attaches to the lead to prohibit the body from absorbing it. This treatment protects the peripheral organs, but most ministrations cannot reverse existing damage caused by lead.

Overall, lead treatment is of mitigation, as the ultimate solution is prevention.

How Can I Find Out If There’s Lead in My School’s Water?

There are multiple options to test your school’s water for lead.

It is becoming more common for districts to provide free or assisted water testing at schools. If this is not an option for your school, you can pursue other certified testing laboratories or independent testing kits.

Moving Forward

The risk of health issues caused by lead in drinking water are not to be taken lightly. Ignoring the problem is no longer an option. We must now move forward utilizing professionals and practical solutions.

Concerned about lead in water in your school and unsure where to start?

Contact us now at support@becausewater.org.

Sources

Lead in Water in Schools: What You Need to Know

by Ian Zoundi | Jul 5, 2018 | Lead in Water Problems

July, 2018

In the wake of the crisis in Flint, Michigan, schools across the United States are testing their drinking water. Because of major national gaps in water infrastructure funding and regulations, many are unfortunately finding high lead levels.

They raise the question, “How much lead is there in our schools’ water?”

How severe is the problem of lead in school drinking water?

Lead in school drinking water is a serious issue across the country. Lead levels above US EPA standards have been found in schools from Portland, Oregon to Washington, DC. Already in 2017, news of lead in public school drinking water has come from New York City and throughout Arizona.

It is sadly no surprise that lead contamination is often found in poorer cities and towns, such as Flint, Michigan or Newark, New Jersey. In Newark, about one quarter of school samples contained lead in 2016. Some of those taps have shown lead levels above EPA standards since 2011.

However, that isn’t to say that lead contamination is only limited to poorer areas. Across the state of Massachusetts, a 2016 statewide testing program revealed 164 public schools had elevated lead levels, out of the about 300 tested.

The news in Massachusetts has caused surprise and concern. Glenn Koocher, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, expressed his alarm. “The presence of lead in any school water supply is distressing. This report should be a call to action.” He recognized the systemic nature of the problem, noting, “The real challenge for us is to prioritize the replacement of lead water pipes as part of our national effort to improve our infrastructure.”

Results to date may only be the tip of the iceberg. Richard Maas, former Co-director of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, estimated that if samples were taken at every school tap in the U.S., 10-20% would test positive for lead. Some schools have even uncovered levels as high as those found in Flint homes. Evidence indicates a pervasive problem, but due to gaps in testing, there’s no way of verifying the problem completely.

What are the health dangers of consuming lead in drinking water?

Lead directly affects children at school by impairing learning and cognition. Lead is correlated with lower standardized test and IQ scores in children. Even after “safe” levels of exposure, its effects are profound.

Lead is a toxin that can affect almost every organ in the body. In children, lead poisoning may negatively impact learning, motor skills, and hormones during crucial years. It can cause developmental delays (for example, delays in speech or puberty), lower IQs, decreased hearing and balance, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, sluggishness and fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, seizures, and consumption of items that aren’t food (pica).

Though the EPA only requires action if lead levels in water reach 15 parts per billion, no level of lead is safe to consume. This is especially true for children, whose bodies absorb and accumulate lead more easily than adults.

Lead directly affects children at school by impairing learning and cognition.

Are schools at a higher risk than other places of lead in drinking water?

Most schools are at higher risk for lead in their water than other types of buildings, such as homes (though lead is a problem in many homes as well). There are three reasons for this:

First, most school buildings are decades old and likely to have some lead in their plumbing. In 2013, school buildings in the US were 44 years old on average. By contrast, schools are not considered “lead-free” by today’s standards unless they were built in 2014 or later. Instead, their plumbing materials may contain up to 8% lead.

Second, schools are used primarily in the daytime and during certain times of the year. Water stays in pipes overnight and during several weeks, even months, in the year. As water sits in pipes and plumbing containing lead, lead accumulates in the water, causing high concentrations of lead to materialize.

Third, there is no lead testing rule specific to schools despite their higher risk, so schools may be tested infrequently or sporadically from varying taps.

Lead is particularly dangerous in schools because of the serious effects it can cause for children. Children absorb lead more easily than adults and experience the most severe, long-term effects of lead poisoning.

Aren’t there laws that prevent lead in drinking water?

Yes, but they do not guarantee that there is no lead in school water. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires utilities to test only some taps in each water system, which can include schools but doesn’t cite them directly.

There is no federal law specifically requiring testing of drinking water in schools that receive water from public water systems. This means that about 90% of schools may be used as a sampling location (i.e., tap) for a public water system’s lead testing required under SDWA, but there are no federal requirements for more extensive testing. Schools that do have their own water supplies are subject to more thorough regulation and sampling.

States and towns/cities may also establish their own programs for testing drinking water lead levels in schools. Several, including Illinois and New Jersey, have implemented statewide testing since the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In Seattle, all schools must be tested every three years. School districts, such as Newton Public Schools in Massachusetts, discovered lead as a result of their own testing programs.

Massachusetts is one state that must improve its testing standards. Each public water system must include samples from at least two schools or early education care centers per district in their testing. Depending on system water quality, these samples may be taken as infrequently as every three years. There can be several sampling periods between tests at each school. This has allowed lead to enter schools’ water unnoticed, as evidenced by the state’s 2016 testing assistance program.

Who is at highest risk from lead in drinking water?

People with houses built before 1986 are most likely to be exposed to lead in water.

Infants and young children are at high risk because they absorb lead more easily than adults. They can experience serious long-term effects.

Pregnant women can also experience serious effects of lead. Miscarriages, stillbirths, and premature births are all possible.

What are the steps to test for lead in water? How difficult is it?

There are several options for testing lead content in school drinking water. If you are concerned about the possibility of lead at your school, take action by learning the options for testing. Find more resources on our website at becausewater.org.

How can schools take steps toward safe water if they discover lead?

There are two recommended solutions to remediate lead from schools water.

First is traditional pipe remediation, which actually requires identifying the source of lead, which can come from the service line, internal piping, or fixtures. While this could remove all lead from the water, the process can be extremely expensive and time-consuming.

A growing alternative for schools is to install a filtration system that will reduce lead to safe levels. Assure that the filter is safe by looking for independent certification by NSF & WQA.

What resources are there for schools concerned about lead in drinking water?

US EPA’s 3T’s for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: Testing.
EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1-800-426-4791.
How to Remove Lead from School Drinking Water.

Lead contamination of school drinking water has been a neglected issue across the country. There are some regulations and programs that monitor lead in school water, but these are largely insufficient. Therefore, ultimately each school (and you, reading this article) is responsible for making sure that each school’s drinking water is safe.

Sources

US EPA. “Basic Information About Lead in Drinking Water.”

Mayo Clinic. “Lead Poisoning Symptoms and Causes.”

Pediatrics Journal, October 2005. “Lead Exposure in Children: Prevention, Detection, and Management.”

US EPA. “Drinking Water Requirements for States and Public Water Systems: Lead and Copper Rule.”

US EPA. “Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR).”

US Government Publishing Office, June 1991. “Title 40: Protection of Environment; Part 141: National Primary Drinking Water Regulations; Subpart 1: Control of Lead and Copper.”

American Water Works Association, 2013. “Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge.”

Huffington Post, June 2016. “Portland, Oregon Has A Lead Problem. Kids Are Paying The Price.”

Washington City Paper, June 2016. “D.C. Tested Public Schools’ Water for Lead. More Than 60 Had High Levels.”

The New York Times, March 2016. “High Lead Levels Found at More Newark Schools.”

The New York Times, April 2016. “Drinking Water in Newark Schools Known to Have Lead Problem at Least 6 Years Ago.”