FACTS ABOUT LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
OVERVIEW | SCHOOL WATER TESTING AND FINDINGS The Boston Public School (BPS) School Committee passed a comprehensive Water Access Policy on June 8, 2016. This policy calls for annual testing of all water sources used for drinking, food preparation, or medical services. Under the leadership of Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Superintendent Tommy Chang, Boston Public Schools (BPS), tested all active water fountains in April 2016 and then again in summer 2016 out of utmost concern for safety and health of students. In addition, all nurse’s sinks and food preparation sinks and equipment were tested. At least one water fountain with lead levels above the EPA action level of 15 ppb was found in 10 school buildings after 2016 testing, and as a result, these schools have been moved “offline” and bottled water has been provided for drinking. Currently there are 108 “offline” school buildings (use bottled water for drinking) and 24 “online” (use tap water for drinking). Water quality tests in summer, 2016 identified 65 nurse’s sinks with elevated lead levels. Even though these sinks are not used for drinking, out of caution for the health of our students, all nurse’s offices will be provided bottled water and cups and signs stating “For Hand Washing Only” have been hung above the sinks. Additional corrective actions have been taken to reduce lead levels in our water. These include: daily water fountain flushing by custodians, water meter replacement in all schools and point of use filters installed on food service equipment.
STATUS OF PILOT WATER FOUNTAIN PROJECT In an initiative to improve water access in our schools and bring them back online to use tap water, BPS Facilities funded a pilot initiative to install new water fountains in six schools: Curley K8, Another Course to College, Boston Green Academy, Mather Elementary, Trotter K8, and Lee K8. These schools were chosen because previous testing revealed that the water coming into these facilities had lead levels within the acceptable limits. Fountains in these six schools currently remain off because 23 of the 52 fountains installed have lead levels above 15ppb on the first or second sample draw. New drinking water lines and a new water meter were installed at the Mather school but lead levels still remain high. RW Sullivan engineers was hired to analyze the situation and recommend the use of filters to remove lead. BPS Facilities personnel are working with state agencies to develop a plan for using filters. At these pilot schools, several of the newly installed fountains were turned on prematurely, between 12 hours and three weeks, due to a miscommunication between the Facilities department and the plumbing contractor. Subsequent testing results showed lead levels above the EPA standard in some of the water fountains. All of these fountains should have remained offline. BPS families were notified about the situation, community meetings were held at each school to address concerns and expert water engineers and lead poisoning doctors have worked with BPS to ensure the safety of our students.
WHAT IS LEAD? Lead is a heavy, bluishgray metal that occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust. Lead was used regularly in a number of industries including paint, piping solder and, until the 1980s, in gasoline. Most of these sources are now banned, but building products containing lead still remain in older buildings. The EPA and CDC report that lead paint (and the contaminated dust and soil it generates) is the leading source of lead exposure for children.
WHY IS LEAD A HEALTH CONCERN? Lead is a toxic material that is known to be harmful to humans if ingested or inhaled. Lead serves no useful purpose in the human body, and there is no safe level of exposure. Lead can cause damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system, and red blood cells. Children, infants, pregnant women, and their unborn children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead. Lead has been associated with impaired mental and physical development in children. Even low levels of lead in a child’s body can slow a child’s development and cause learning and behavior problems. Because lead is ubiquitous in the environment, there is no way to totally eliminate all lead exposure; however, children’s lead exposures are being successfully reduced to a very low level where there is a minuscule risk of harm.
WHY IS LEAD A SPECIAL CONCERN FOR CHILDREN? Children are more vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure. Growing children will also absorb the lead that they consume more rapidly than adults. In addition, children at play may come into contact with more sources of lead, such as dirt and dust, than adults. Children can be exposed to lead from a number of sources, including leadbased paints in housing built prior to 1978, leadcontaminated dust and soil, and drinking water. While lead in drinking water must be addressed, it typically is not the primary source of exposure to lead for children.
WHERE DOES BPS DRINKING WATER COME FROM? Boston gets its drinking water through the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs. The water delivered to the City of Boston is virtually leadfree. Lead contamination is rarely found in sources of water such as rivers, wells, and reservoirs. In 2014, Boston water was voted the best tasting water in the country by the National Water Works Association.
WHO MANAGES BOSTON’S WATER SUPPLY? The Boston Water & Sewer Commission (BWSC) maintains the distribution of drinking water through its water mains in the middle of the street. However, a building or dwelling may have an old lead service line that connects through the foundation from the water meter to the Boston water main. The property owner is only responsible for replacing this service line from the sidewalk into the building. BWSC is responsible for the water piping under the sidewalk and under roadways. The BWSC has a map where you can type in your address and see if your property has a lead service line as well as a Lead Service Line Replacement Incentive Program for Property Owners (see below). We recommend that you flush your water that is sitting in the pipes overnight by turning on the faucet in the kitchen in the morning and letting it run cold for one to two minutes. Flushing the toilet or turning on the shower will also help flush stagnant water from your system. Never use hot tap water for food preparation or for making baby formula. BWSC also flushes water mains to improve drinking water quality for residences and businesses and notifies its customers.
WHERE DOES LEAD IN DRINKING WATER COME FROM? Lead may leach into a building’s tap water through corrosion of its plumbing materials (e.g., leadbased service lines, solder connecting copper pipes, and leaded brass alloy fixtures). The complex interaction of many chemical, physical, and biological factors influence if corrosion happens and how quickly or slowly lead is released into the water. Some these factors include, but are not limited to, how acidic or alkaline the water is; the age and condition of plumbing; and the amount of time water is in contact with plumbing. In public buildings, water often stagnates in pipes overnight, on weekends, and during extended holidays. These patterns can contribute to elevated lead levels in drinking water if the plumbing includes leadcontaining components. Therefore, facility staff should investigate all plumbing components thoroughly to determine each building’s risk of lead entering its drinking water. This is an important step in understanding how lead could enter a facility’s drinking water and the efforts required to reduce children’s overall exposure to lead. Tap water used in school buildings having lead service lines, solder, or leaded alloy fixtures must be periodically tested.
SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT MY CHILD DRINKING FROM A SCHOOL FOUNTAIN? BPS, with BWSC, has been periodically testing school drinking water for lead for many years as required by the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule. In 1988 BPS surveyed all schools for lead drinking water and had their service lines removed and replaced with leadfree piping. All drinking water in the nation must meet the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule of 15 parts per billion (ppb). BPS recently retested drinking water in all of its schools on the public water supply system and found some samples with slightly elevated lead from lead solder in old pipes in its system. Of the 281 drinking water fountain samples BPS recently tested during summer months (most conservative testing conditions) only seventeen locations showed lead levels above the 15 ppb mark, representing six schools. In other words, 94% of the water outlets tested did not have lead problems. Risk of a child getting an elevated blood lead level from this water is low. Children are at greater risk for elevated blood lead levels through exposure from the inhalation and ingestion of leadbased paint dust and paint chips in their homes and leadcontaminated soil in their yards.
Per the BPS Water Access Policy (passed June 8, 2016), anytime BPS finds a high lead level at a water fountain, the entire building’s drinking water system will be turned off and bottled water and cups will be provided until corrective action can be taken. Fountains in these buildings will only be turned on after three consecutive tests show acceptable lead levels.
HOW CAN I LEARN MORE? Information about water testing in BPS and results for each school: o Boston Public Schools (BPS) Facilities Management: 6176359137 Information or help regarding lead in your home: o Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC): 6175345965 o Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) Lead Hotline: 6179897888 Map of properties with lead service lines Lead testing o Mass. Water Resources Authority (MWRA) Water Quality Hotline: 6172425323 Concerns about your child’s health: please contact your healthcare plan and ask if your child should have a blood test to determine their lead level. Many healthcare providers, such as MassHealth, cover the cost of lead testing. Families with questions or concerns about costs may contact BPS Health Services at 6176356788. This fact sheet was created by the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston Water and Sewer Commission, and Boston Public Schools. August 15, 2016
