Congress must help schools test for lead in drinking water

Over the past year, the nation has watched a tragedy unfold in Flint, Mich., where the drinking water was severely contaminated by lead.

As kids returned to school last month, it’s important to know that lead in drinking water is also a major problem in schools across the country, including right here in Texas.

Lead exposure, especially for children, can cause very serious health problems, including decreased bone and muscle growth, damage to the nervous system and kidneys, and developmental delays. In adults, lead exposure can cause kidney failure and high blood pressure.

Lead exposure from drinking water is not a new issue.

Historically, lead was used in water mains, service lines and plumbing fixtures, including in schools, built before 1986.

Over time, the lead leaches out of the pipes and fixtures and into the water coming out of the taps.

Thirty years ago, Congress banned the installation of lead pipes after research showed how exposure to lead can be dangerous, especially for children and pregnant women.

The EPA and the Centers for Disease Control agree that there is no known safe level of lead in a child's blood, but water utilities are only required to take action when lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion in 10 percent of test results.

Lead poisoning is irreversible. But it is also preventable.

If there is any place we should be preventing lead exposure, it should be in the place where our kids spend most of their time.

Yet many school districts across the country have confirmed lead contamination in schools’ drinking water.

In Texas, there are more than 1,200 school districts and charter schools with more than 5.2 million students, many of whom may be affected by lead in the water.

As recently as July, 28 out of 116 schools tested were found to have some unsafe lead levels in water.

Some school districts are taking action to get lead out of drinking water.

Fort Worth ISD began testing drinking water at its 140 schools in June and posted the results online.

The district is now working to replace hundreds of drinking fountains that are over 30 years old, eliminating some risk of lead contamination.

In Houston and Dallas, all schools will be tested for lead by the end of the year.

All Texas schools should regularly and properly test their water for lead. Schools should post test results online in a timely manner so parents know immediately if their kids are at risk.

Schools should be up-front with parents, letting them know that there is actually no safe level of lead in water — even if test results are below levels where mandatory action is triggered.

Ripping out lead pipes and replacing fixtures is the ultimate solution, but in the meantime schools need to ensure that kids have safe drinking water right away by installing filters on drinking fountains and/or providing bottled water.

Testing and replacing lead pipes and fixtures will cost money, and the federal government should provide assistance to our schools.

Fortunately, Congress is working to do just that.

The Senate version of the Water Resources Development Act would distribute $4.8 billion in funding for national water infrastructure management, including a $220 million aid package to address the Flint, Mich., crisis, a grant program offering $300 million over five years for the replacement of lead pipes and a new $20 million federal grant program for schools choosing to test for lead.

Congress should quickly approve this funding, and the Texas Legislature should match it with state funds next spring.

Children spend a significant portion of their young lives at school.

We owe it to them to keep them safe from toxic chemicals that may impede their learning and harm their health.

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Congress must help schools test for lead in drinking water."