Lead-Laced Drinking Water Must Be Addressed in American Schools

Townhall.com ^ | September 12, 2021 | Madison Dibble

[Kaslin]

Summer is winding down, and while students and teachers may be ready to resume classroom sessions, the school buildings themselves may not be prepared.

And it has nothing to do with COVID.

Throughout the country, schools are suffering from aging infrastructure, especially when it comes to water pipelines. Cities like Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey, are well aware that lead made their drinking water toxic. But this problem isn’t limited to those two cities.

A recent study conducted by the Pittsburgh-based health advocacy nonprofit Women for a Healthy Environment found 91 percent of Pennsylvania schools that tested their drinking water detected lead. No amount of lead is safe for children to consume. Lead leads to developmental issues including learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Despite detecting the lead, only 9 percent of schools took steps to eliminate the lead from their tap water lines.

Similarly, a study conducted by the North Carolina Division for Public Health found nearly one in 10 of the state’s child care centers and schools had unsafe levels of lead meaning as many as 20,000 children were exposed to unsafe levels. For that study, only tests exceeding lead measurements of 15 parts per million or more were included, but as noted, no level of lead exposure is safe for children.

In California, nearly one in five schools had at least one drinking fixture that was contaminated with lead. In Washington D.C., three separate elementary schools had elevated lead levels.

While it could be easy to judge these schools, at least they took the steps to identify the problem. The same cannot be said for every state.

In Massachusetts, testing the water for lead is not required in schools. Any testing done is voluntary. One report from the Harvard School of Public Health found only 511 schools, roughly one-third, voluntarily tested the water. Of those, 248 detected high levels of lead. More than half of the 248 schools that detected lead did not report to the state their plans to fix the lead problem. Because, again, this was all voluntary.

When a school does detect lead in its drinking water and decides it cares enough about the students to do something, there are two options: replace the pipes or shut off the fountains. One option is clearly cheaper than the other.

As for the expensive option, there is money set aside in the pending federal infrastructure bill to replace lead pipes throughout the country. This will cost an estimated $55 billion. The current legislation, however, has not been signed into law. If it is, it will take time for the money to be distributed and for the pipeline replacements to take place.

In California, nearly one in five schools had at least one drinking fixture that was contaminated with lead. In Washington D.C., three separate elementary schools had elevated lead levels.

While it could be easy to judge these schools, at least they took the steps to identify the problem. The same cannot be said for every state.

In Massachusetts, testing the water for lead is not required in schools. Any testing done is voluntary. One report from the Harvard School of Public Health found only 511 schools, roughly one-third, voluntarily tested the water. Of those, 248 detected high levels of lead. More than half of the 248 schools that detected lead did not report to the state their plans to fix the lead problem. Because, again, this was all voluntary.

When a school does detect lead in its drinking water and decides it cares enough about the students to do something, there are two options: replace the pipes or shut off the fountains. One option is clearly cheaper than the other.

As for the expensive option, there is money set aside in the pending federal infrastructure bill to replace lead pipes throughout the country. This will cost an estimated $55 billion. The current legislation, however, has not been signed into law. If it is, it will take time for the money to be distributed and for the pipeline replacements to take place.

[roadcat]

Another created problem.

We survived into our senior years despite drinking from lead-contaminated water pipes in schools, parks and home. Also asbestos in linoleum tiles in all our schools. Environmentalists make a stink about taking lead out of paint, but didn't do anything about it in other materials. Unless you're a ship-worker working in shipyards on asbestos and lead on a daily basis, the risks are blown out of proportion. In my youth, I actually cut sheets of asbestos for use in retarding flames from torches at workbenches. In my 70s now, still healthy.

[JD_UTDallas]

The pipes themselves are not lead. Before the 1960s nearly every pipe joint be it cast iron to cast iron or copper to copper used lead in the solder joints. As long as the water stays basic in PH level the natural lead oxide later on the seam of the joint will form and very little lead as in sub ppm levels will leach into the water stream. In places where the PH levels go acidic then you have issues flint Mn being the most famous they switched their water source and a skimped on the chemicals to turn the more acidic water back to the basic PH that had existed for decades and the lead started to leach out of the pipe joints not only in the city cast iron mains but also the home copper to copper joints.

[JD_UTDallas]

Wow, so the really old parts of the country do still have lead service lines. That’s crazy it’s still allowed. Something like 40% of NYC has lead service lines.

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/lead-pipes-in-nyc-are-you-at-risk-9b7e078672a0