NC gets $619,000 to test, reduce lead in drinking water at schools, child care centers

North Carolina will get $619,000 to test for lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday.

With the Biden administration, the EPA announced $26 million in funding to be distributed to 55 states and territories and the District of Columbia. North Carolina's allotment is $619,000.

The money will pay for training, testing and actions needed to reduce lead in drinking water.

There is no safe level of lead exposure, according to the EPA. In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slowing down learning, and irreversibly damaging the brain. In adults, lead can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function and cancer.

North Carolina is currently undergoing testing for lead and asbestos at schools and daycares after previous water testing at daycare centers and voluntary testing in some North Carolina school systems found lead in water taps.

If the state finds lead or asbestos, school officials can block access to the affected areas or install water filters to remove lead, according to RTI International, a nonprofit research institute.

In June 2019, the Wilson County Health Department recommended parents at one elementary school have their children tested for lead exposure. In April 2020, Wake County notified around 70 families of possible lead exposure at a daycare and school in downtown Raleigh.

The EPA will also invest $15 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to remove lead pipes and is providing technical assistance to communities to help them develop and implement lead pipe replacement projects, according to Bruno Pigott, EPA's acting assistant administrator of water.