Is Your School Testing Drinking Fountains for Lead Contamination in the Water??

Four years later the Flint Michigan Water Crisis continues!

This type of tragedy and lack of structural planning and accountability is wholly avoidable if the proper precautions are taken. The testing of drinking water supplies for lead, copper, and other heavy metals should be routine at this point. With corrective actions being a matter of established protocol.

Here in Pennsylvania, the State took some amount of action in 2018 with the passing of Act 39 of the Public School Code. Act 39 encourages, but does not require, schools to perform testing of lead in their drinking water. Schools that decide not to test for lead have to hold public meetings to discuss their decision to not perform testing.

Now we may be biased, we are hired by school districts to have our industrial hygienists perform testing for lead in drinking water, but we believe that as a basic safety precaution and for the health of our children, that schools should be Required to perform this testing. The water sampling is very simple and inexpensive, as environmental testing goes, so what is the excuse not to protect the next generation of children from the potential lifelong health effects?

Any lead water testing that your school district has performed should be posted for the public’s review. If you cannot find the sampling results and interpretation you should contact your schools immediately.

Please take a look at the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s page concerning Act 39 and lead water testing. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions as well.

Thank you and stay safe!

Steven A. Vena, CIH

President, Viva Environmental, Health, & Safety, LLC.

(215) 550-1417