Lead Found In Thousands Of NYC School Water Fixtures

NEW YORK — More than 12,000 water fixtures in New York City schools were recently found to have elevated levels of lead — and more than 1,100 have not been completely fixed, the Department of Education said Tuesday.

The city has tested all 142,411 faucets and other water fixtures in schools for the presence of lead since the 2016-17 academic year. While the vast majority did not raise concerns, 12,457 had levels of lead higher than 15 parts per billion, the threshold at which the state requires action, the Education Department said.

Some 11,292, or 91 percent, of those have seen successful remediation, such as the replacement of fixtures or pipes, officials said — meaning 1,165 have yet to be fully remediated. The 435 fixtures in that group used for cooking or drinking have been shut off, while others have signage indicating the water should not be drunk, the department said.

"Water in New York City schools is safe for students and staff to drink, and all fixtures in DOE schools currently in use for cooking or drinking tested within the state’s standard," schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement. "We remain vigilant and will begin retesting fixtures in schools this year as part of our continued focus on water safety."

The revelations came amid a lead-poisoning crisis in New York City's public housing in which more than 2,000 children have tested positive for elevated levels of the chemical since 2010. Lead can cause myriad issues including brain damage, slow development and learning problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The New York City Housing Authority and the city reached a settlement with federal prosecutors in June over NYCHA's failure to conduct mandated lead inspections and its false statements to federal authorities that they were done.

Test results released last year showed more than 80 percent of the city's school buildings had at least one water outlet with an elevated lead level, according to The New York Times. The Education Department changed how it conducts the tests after that newspaper revealed the previous method — which involved running the water for two hours before samples were taken — may have hidden the extent of the lead problems.

But the department said Tuesday that the Department of Health has not linked any cases of child lead poisoning to school drinking water. The Education Department plans to retest all school fixtures over the course of three years; the first third of those tests are set to be finished by the end of this year.

The city's acting health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, encouraged students, teachers and staff to continue drinking water in their schools.

"We have worked closely with the Department of Education to educate families about lead and what families can do if they are concerned about their child’s potential exposure to lead," Barbot said in a statement. "Everyone should know that New York City’s drinking water remains the best choice for staying hydrated and an excellent alternative to sugary beverages."

(Lead image: Photo by Photofusion/Shutterstock)