Get the Lead Out: Nonprofit pushes for testing of drinking water in NC schools
Parents and clean water advocates in North Carolina are pushing for more lead testing at schools and daycares statewide.
Wake County has 161,000 students, and most of them use water fountains during the school day. But in March, nonprofit organization Environment NC gave North Carolina an "F" for being one of 22 states that doesn't require schools to test their water for lead contamination.
A recent study showed one out of seven childcare centers in the Triangle have at least one faucet where lead levels are higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows. Environment NC is launching an awareness campaign to encourage parents to ask their local school leaders about testing.
A checklist posted on their website lists what schools can do to remove lead from water. Some items include:
- Make sure the filters on taps are certified to remove lead.
- Replace fountains, pipes or plumbing that has lead.
- Remove pipes that contain lead.
- Require ongoing testing.
According to the EPA, low levels of lead exposure have been linked to nervous system damage, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells.
Doctors say there is no safe level of lead, and Jackie MacDonald Gibson, a professor of environmental sciences in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that's especially true for children.
"It impairs their cognitive development, can decrease IQ – and that's a permanent effect – and also can lead to adverse outcomes like increased rates of juvenile delinquency and poor performance in school," Gibson said.
Parents are asked to help by spreading the word on social media, alerting other members of the public and contacting lawmakers.
You can learn more about Environment NC's Get the Lead Out initiative here.
