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CSTE Environmental Health in Schools Workgroup

Hayleigh McCall, Program Analyst III, Syndromic Surveillance at CSTEMelissa JordanCarol Braunclaire barnettHenri MenagerHenry AndersonJessi Joiner, Geospatial Health Data AnalystMeredith JaggerMichelle BruneauNelson AdekoyaYushiuan ChenCurtis CudeKim Gaetz, Epidemiology Supervisor at NC Division of Public HealthLori Harris-FranklinMichele Herdt +44 others
Added by Hayleigh McCall • Uploaded

Document Lead testing of school drinking water would benefit from improved federal guidance.pdf (7.19 MB)

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Hayleigh M. posted this on · Download ↓
claire barnett claire barnett
 US GAO report on lead in school water, released this week (7/17/2018) found almost 60% of schools surveyed had not tested at the tap for lead or did not know if testing had been done. 

Of those that tested, nearly 40% found lead levels in tap water exceeded EPA’s outdated action levels of 15 ppb lead (for water suppliers) or 20 ppb lead (for schools on municipal water systems).  GAO called on EPA to improve its guidance and assistance to states and schools, in cooperation with CDC and ED. Testing does not remove lead. The GAO helpfully provides a snapshot of how schools are remediating lead (p 28 of report): replacement of fixtures, flushing, filters, bottled water.   

NB- EPA has a new FY 18 Approps of $20M to award to states to help schools test at the tap for lead. EPA has not issued the RFP to states yet. In context, $20M is a big step up, but $20M is what it cost NYS public schools to test at the tap for lead in 2016. EPA’s authorization is for $20M/year x five years, or $100M. If all states follow the NYS example, $100M (assuming congress makes the approps) is sufficient to test taps in 25% of the nation’s 100,000 public schools. - c Barnett

 
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