Pennsylvania schools receive nearly $1 million to combat lead contamination

August 23, 2024 | 9:23 am

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  Zoë Read/WHY?
  

  

  Zoë Read is a Delaware reporter for WHYY News.
  She received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Delaware in 2011. During her studies, Read was editor-in-chief of the features section of the student newspaper The Review.
  She received her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in 2012. While in college, Read wrote a 6,000-word thesis on HIV/AIDS in Harlem. An excerpt from that article was later published on theatlantic.com.
  Most recently, Read worked for the Capital newspaper in Annapolis, where she covered news in Anne Arundel County. During her time at the newspaper, she won awards from the MDDC Association for her work in arts and culture, health, the environment and public service.
  Read’s freelance work has also been featured in the Kansas City Star, the Detroit News, and the online version of The Atlantic.

Jillian Forstadt / 90.5 WESA

Water fountain

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced a $26 million grant to help schools and daycare centers test and treat lead contamination in drinking water.

The annual funding is part of the voluntary grant for lead testing and reduction in schools and child care centers, which has provided more than $150 million to schools and child care centers across the United States since 2019.

Lead exposure can impair cognitive and physical development in children and cause heart disease, impaired kidney function and cancer in adults.

“The science is clear: there is no safe level of lead exposure,” said Bruno Pigott, deputy commissioner of the Department of Water and Waste Management. “As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda, this $26 million will help protect our children from the harmful effects of lead.”

This year, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware will receive $958,000, $510,000 and $95,000, respectively.

Schools in Pennsylvania are encouraged to test for lead, but there is no legal requirement to do so.

A 2021 report by Women for a Healthy Environment found that 91% of water tests from 65 Pennsylvania school districts surveyed detected lead. Last year, lawmakers introduced a bill that would require schools to replace outdated drinking fountains with filtered water by 2026.

In 2021, 4,907 children in Pennsylvania tested positive for lead in their blood. Lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead exposure, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Last year, WHYY News found that about 5% of water samples taken at Delaware schools showed lead levels above state limits. To combat lead contamination in schools, the state pledged to spend $3.8 million to install filtration systems, and Democratic Gov. John Carney signed a law requiring lead testing in schools starting this year.

In New Jersey, schools are required by law to conduct lead testing every three years and to prevent access to lead-contaminated water. Last year, news reports showed that 56% of water sources in schools in the state had high lead levels.

Rachel Thomas, senior White House communications adviser, said this year’s funding will help schools with limited resources tackle the costly task of removing contaminants from drinking water.

“Many teachers simply don’t have the resources to do lead testing and replace these facilities in schools,” she said. “That’s exactly what these funds are being used for.”

The EPA is also investing $15 billion in lead pipe removal and replacement as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. The agency is advancing its Get the Lead Out initiative by helping communities identify and replace lead pipes.

So far, funds from the bipartisan infrastructure bill have replaced 1.7 million lead pipes in the United States. The Biden administration estimates that about 9 million homes, schools, daycare centers and businesses are equipped with lead pipes.

A collection of interviews, photos and music videos with local musicians who stopped by the WITF performance studio for a little discussion and sound sharing. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.