Dangerous Toxins Taint Drinking Water in Schools

The Associated Press (AP) is breaking with news that not only has the drinking water at thousands of schools nationwide been found to contain a variety of dangerous toxins, but its investigation found these contaminants to be present in schools in every state.

Unsafe and dangerous levels of pesticides, leads, and an array of other chemicals and toxins have been found in schools’ drinking water and, worse, said the AP, the issue is basically going unchecked by the government, with the problem escalating and most prevalent at schools in which water is fed by wells. About one in five schools has been found in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the past ten years, said the AP, citing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Schools with well water were not the only culprits, said the AP. Schools utilizing public water tested with higher lead concentrations, which can occur for a number, for instance, when lead flakes from lead-soldered pipes and lead levels increase during a school’s down time. Worse, said the AP, a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey found about half of the schools in the United States do not test for lead.

“It’s an outrage,” said Marc Edwards, an engineer at Virginia Tech University who has been honored for his work on water quality, quoted the AP. “If a landlord doesn’t tell a tenant about lead paint in an apartment, he can go to jail. But we have no system to make people follow the rules to keep school children safe?”

Exposure to lead in children can cause brain and nervous system damage, behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems, headaches, mental and physical retardation, and behavioral and other health problems. Lead is also known to cause cancer and reproductive harm. Once poisoned by lead, no organ system is immune. Of particular concern is the developing brain because negative influences can have long-lasting effects and can continue well into puberty and beyond.

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Source: newsinferno.com