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| Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks during a news conference addressing recent finding of lead levels in Newark schools, Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in Newark, N.J. Elevated levels of lead caused officials in New Jersey's largest school district on Wednesday to shut off water fountains at 30 school buildings until more tests are conducted, officials said. |
NEWARK, N.J.
(AP) -- Elevated levels of lead caused officials in New Jersey's
largest school district on Wednesday to shut off water fountains at 30
school buildings until more tests are conducted, but officials said they
don't believe the contamination poses any serious health risks.
Newark
Public Schools notified the state Department of Environmental
Protection on Monday that annual testing found levels ranging from
non-detected to above the Environmental Protection Agency's action level
for lead, which is 15 parts per billion. That level requires additional
testing, monitoring and remediation.
The DEP
has requested test results from previous years to be able to do a
complete analysis. No building had more than four samples above the
action level, the DEP said in a statement.
The
DEP confirmed lead has not been found in the city's water supply. "In
the vast majority of cases where lead is found in drinking water, it
enters through the water delivery system itself when it leaches from
either lead pipes, household fixtures containing lead or lead solder,"
the DEP said.
Notices were posted and bottled water and water coolers were delivered to the school buildings in Newark.
Lead
in drinking water has drawn increased attention recently because of the
water crisis in Flint, Michigan, that happened after the city switched
from the Detroit system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in
2014. Lead from aging pipes leached into the drinking water because it
wasn't treated with anti-corrosion chemicals. Lead in school water is a
longstanding issue in the United States and has been a focus of federal
and local regulators.
"I understand in the
Flint environment that any sign of elevation is going to make everyone
go haywire, but here, the water system in Newark is still safe, it's
still drinkable," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said at an afternoon news
conference. "A lot of our buildings are old. That speaks to
infrastructure, the reason why we need new schools."
Parents
should have no concerns about their children's water and food
consumption at school, the DEP said, because drinking water alone is not
typically associated with elevated blood lead levels. The DEP said that
the buildup of lead from all sources over time determines whether
harmful effects will occur.
Parents who are concerned can have their children tested for lead at the Newark Health Department.
The state chapter of the Sierra Club environmental group called for more testing and pipe replacement.
"New
Jersey cities have old outdated pipes in our streets and homes which
can mean even higher levels of lead in our water. Many of our water
systems go back to the Victorian era and even homes built in the 30's
and 40's have pipes made with lead solder," said director Jeff Tittel.
The Newark school system has 35,054 students in 66 schools.
