Schools Test Water For Lead In Response To Water Crisis In Flint, Michigan

The current issue of a water crisis in Flint, Michigan prompts the school officials nationwide to test water from the eatery faucets and classroom sinks for lead. This is to ensure the safety of the citizens especially the students from any harm that lead may bring.

About a fraction of daycare centers and school across the country are necessitated for lead testing. The federal and state lawmakers called for urgency for the said testing. On the other hand, approximately 90,000 of them--those that receive water from the municipality systems are not entailed to take the lead testing, according to Environmental Protection Agency.

The Guardian reports that some schools in Newark, New Jersey were positive for testing. They close down the faucets and sinks in 30 buildings. They also provide a lead testing for about 17,000 children.

Meanwhile, the school officials in Riverside elementary in the northern Wisconsin town of Ringle decided to remove the drinking fountains over a decade ago. The water pipes of their water system were made from lead and buried in the concrete foundation. They did not replace the lead pipes instead they purchased bottled water for the students that cost about $1,000 each month.

Otherwise, the school officials in Idaho Falls, Idaho also decided to cut out their two drinking fountains following a report on a recent high sample. The school officials said if they only flushed the water every day, they could have kept the drinking fountains. This is because lead particles can build up in the pipes when the water is not used for a longer period.

CNBC reports that the White House together with 150 other institutions guaranteed over $5 billion for the improvement of the water quality and accessibility all throughout the nations. School buildings that have high lead readings are in New Jersey, Maine and Pennsylvania. On the other hand, CNBC reports that states that have the safe level in the water system are Hawaii, Tennessee, Alabama, Nevada, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Dakota, North Dakota and Nevada.