"Alarm Over Lead Found In Drinking Water At US Schools"

"In the wake of the Flint water crisis several schools have shut off their drinking water due to high levels of lead, raising the question: ‘How big is this issue?’"

"Several schools across the US have either discovered or acted upon evidence of high levels of lead in their drinking water in the wake of the crisis in Flint, Michigan, with one leading expert warning the cases could mark “the tip of the iceberg”.

Yanna Lambrinidou, who is an affiliate faculty member in science, technology and society at Virginia Tech, the university that helped uncover the extremely elevated levels of lead in Flint, said schools are especially vulnerable to contamination from ageing pipes, faucets and valves.

The full extent of the problem in America’s schools with lead, which can affect the brain and nervous system in both children and adults, is unknown.

However, Lambrinidou said a slew of recent cases in which schools have shut off drinking water supplies, from New York to California, could signal a wider problem."

Kate Galbraith reports for the Guardian March 1, 2016.