A Northern California school district faced backlash after disclosing that nearly 200 drinking fountains and water faucets in multiple schools had elevated levels of lead that exceeded the district’s standards. Out of over 1,000 faucets and fountains tested at 40 schools, about 17% were above the district’s limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb). The district’s standard is more strict than state and federal guidelines of 15 ppb set by the U.S. EPA.
Fixtures with elevated lead levels were taken out of service for repairs and retesting until concentrations were below 5 ppb. The district advised families to ensure children have reusable water bottles for filtered water stations on campuses. Despite the testing being conducted between March and June, families were only notified of results on Monday, raising concerns among parents, teachers, and staff about lack of transparency. Lead exposure can have serious health effects on children, affecting multiple body systems, brain development, learning, behavior, hearing, and speech. The WHO warns that even low levels of lead in blood can be harmful to children, with effects that are believed to be irreversible. Public health agencies recommend parents talk to healthcare providers about potential blood lead testing.问题有解决方案,需要保护学生和教职员工的健康。否则,长期暴露在铅水中可能会对学生和他们的学习产生负面影响。
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