CITRIS Foundry Alum John H. Pujol has launched the Lead In School Water Project, the first web-based application to rank and track every US state in terms of school-related lead exposure, testing, and policy. The team investigated efforts nationwide by state regulators dealing with lead contamination in drinking water in schools and daycare centers. Each state was given a grade based on critical factors, such as the number of schools tested, the testing program’s rigor and the remediation measures taken.
The top findings are:
- There is no Federal requirement for schools to test water for lead.
- About half of US states have proposed or passed legislation related to lead in school water, fewer than half have funded such legislation.
- Faucet fixtures and on-premise plumbing is not systematically monitored in most states, despite being a primary exposure pathway.
- Daycare facilities provide no systematic lead testing, despite serving children who are most vulnerable to impacts from lead.