A California school district said it failed to notify families about the presence of lead in the water supply, which could affect more than 45,000 students.
The Oakland Unified School District in Northern California sent a letter to families explaining that they were not notified earlier about lead, which was found in nearly 200 water fountains and faucets.
“Despite our attention to detail and care for our sites, we did not effectively communicate with members of each school community how testing was initiated, when we received results and how fixes were implemented,” the letter said, via NBC News. .
Picture of children washing their hands in the school bathroom.
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“We are putting systems in place to ensure that this lack of effective communication does not happen again and that school communities receive prompt notification when this type of testing takes place on their campuses,” the letter said, according to NBC News.
According to the outlet, the school district — which is the 11th largest in the state with more than 45,000 students — tested the lamps for lead concentrations greater than 5 parts per billion (ppb).
That baseline is lower than state and federal guidelines of 15 ppb.
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The investigation found that 116 devices were tested at more than 5 ppb and less than 15 ppb; and 70 devices tested at levels above state and federal standards of 15 ppb.
Exposure to lead is dangerous for children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Even low levels of lead in children’s blood can result in behavioral and learning problems,” the agency says, adding that it can cause lower IQ and hyperactivity, stunted growth, hearing problems and anemia.
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Oakland Unified School District is holding its 2022 meeting.
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The agency also notes, “Lead can enter drinking water when lead-containing plumbing materials corrode, especially if the water is high in acidity or low in minerals that corrode pipes and fittings.”
A statement from the school district said that “61 devices have been repaired so far” and that the process is still ongoing, according to NBC News.
“Nearly half of schools have detected lead in their drinking water,” the National Association of State Boards of Education said — noting that not all states test their water.
Only 13 states have a policy to test school water supplies for lead, NASBE says — and no state has a policy to test for lead paint.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education