High lead, copper levels seen in 19 Detroit schools’ water

DETROIT – Elevated lead or copper levels have been found in the water at 19 Detroit schools, amid testing that is also going on at schools around the country in response to the lead-tainted water crisis in nearby Flint. The district says students at those schools are getting bottled water.

Detroit Public Schools began collecting water samples two weeks ago in “proactive and precautionary” testing, district spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said. The district did not release specifics about the levels of lead or copper found in nearly a third of the 62 elementary-middle school buildings tested so far, but said it has notified families and is working to fix the problems.

“While additional testing is completed, DPS immediately shut off all drinking fountains in the affected schools until further notice and is providing additional bottled water for students and staff,” Zdrodowski said. She said where the result involved a prep sink in a kitchen, schools are providing meals that do not require any added water.

School officials across the U.S. are testing classroom sinks and cafeteria faucets for lead, trying to uncover problems and to reassure parents. Few schools and child-care centers are required to check for lead because most, like Detroit, receive their water from municipal systems that test at other locations. Lead is a neurotoxin that can damage child brain development, cause behavioral problems and sicken adults.

A recent analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data by the Associated Press found that among the schools and child-care centers operating their own water systems, 278 violated federal lead levels at some point during the past three years.

In almost all cases, the problems can be traced to aging buildings with lead pipes, older drinking fountains and water fixtures that have parts made with lead – exactly the case in the Detroit schools.

An environmental consulting firm will revisit the 19 buildings through April 25 and collect additional water samples on outlets that have not been screened. The district is working on detailed mitigation plans for the schools, Zdrodowski added.

The average age of school buildings in the U.S. dates to the 1970s. It was not until 1986 that lead pipes were banned.