Dear Dr. Maxwell,
A letter was sent to staff about the "Water Quality Program" on March 30, 2017 which states that you want staff to have “accurate information” about the lead contamination in classroom water. I am writing because I just reviewed this letter and I am deeply concerned that parents teachers and staff are not being fully informed about the lead tainted water in Prince George’s County Schools which has gone unattended half a decade.
1. Staff and parents need to know that the PGCPS current “EPA compliant” level of 20 ppb (parts of lead per billion) is not safe for children. This allows 20 times what Washington DC Public Schools allow. EPA compliance is irrelevant when it is a decades old standard- from 1991- over 25 years old!
Washington DC Public Schools uses an action level for lead in water at 1 ppb.
Why are Prince George’s County Children are allowed to drink water with 20x the lead that Washington DC children are allowed? 20X higher than the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation?
In July 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics' Council on Environmental Health issued the following recommendation: "State and local governments should take steps to ensure that water fountains in schools do not exceed water lead concentrations of 1 ppb."
The EPA explains that their action level is not based on health however, the PGCPS messaging implies that their outdated action levels are “safety” levels. This is a dangerous assertion and completely false.
According to the materials PGCPS has posted online PGCPS is using an outdated EPA action level for lead in the water at 20 ppb. I also see that for new construction you state are using an action level of 10 ppb. I am unclear why this double standard? Why are children in new construction would afforded lower lead in their water ?
Why are children in new buildings afforded less lead in their water than those in older buildings?
I would like to know what documentation you have done to ascertain that this amount of lead (10 -20ppb) is safe for children.
2. You sent a FAQs on the Water Quality Program with some missing information.
This FAQ Sheet states
Why is PGCPS conducting comprehensive testing of drinking water sources?
The sheet answers: Comprehensive testing of drinking water sources will allow for systematic identification of major issues, any subsequent updates to our remediation plan, and other steps to address water quality. Comprehensive testing was originally scheduled for summer 2017. However, due to public inquiries about PGCPS water quality, the timetable was moved up.
This is a misrepresentation of the full situation.
This is how I would answer the question:
Why is PGCPS conducting comprehensive testing of drinking water sources?
Comprehensive testing of drinking water was begun because over 5000 water sources were found to have high levels of lead that exceeded the EPA action level in 2009- 2016. As a result water taps were turned off in 88 schools. However then the County did not prioritize this issue and little action was taken until parents started advocating for clean water.
In addition the science has advanced and the PGCPS allowable lead level of 15 or 20 does not protect children because there is no safe level of lead for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the amount of lead and water be at 0 ppb. Therefore, PGCPS decided to take action on this issue, but still is in need of medical expertise to plan the next steps so that children are fully protected.
PGCPS may have water sources that are turned on yet have high lead levels because it has been so long since testing was done.
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3. Why is the County not posting the recent Lead in Water Contamination Test Reports?
On the Prince George’s County Public School Water quality page you only post the lead in water test reports from 2004. These are of course, over a decade old. Why have you not posted the test results from 2009 through 2016 which you sent me last year?
4. Why are parents not being informed to bring their health concerns to their pediatrician?
In Washington DC parents are being informed to talk to their pediatrician and possibly get lead test for their child. PGCPS is making it seem like there is not a problem when the lead tests show in fact that there is a current problem. From information you sent me, it seems the problem is that lead levels under 20ppb were allowed to remain with water taps ON- exposing children to lead contaminated water and there was little follow up in over 5 years.
Please clarify this to parents who should be informed if their child was exposed to lead and at what levels .
In Baltimore 80,000 students remain on bottled water costing close to a half-million dollars a year, so addressing this issue will save money in the long run. I look forward to hearing from you on this very important information. There is a Prince George's County parent blog where you can learn more about lead and about parents concerns at http://leadinpgcpswater.blogspot.com.
Thank you so much,
Theodora Scarato
Prevention of Childhood Lead Toxicity, American Academy of Pediatrics-Council on Environmental Health, Bruce Perrin Lanphear, MD, MPH, FAAP, Pediatrics, July 2016, Volume 138/Issue 1
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