HomeMy WebLinkAboutOver 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water - Toronto Star - 05/08/2018 - Toronto Star - 05/08/20185/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
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'I'ver 12o B.C. schools report unsafe
levels of lead in drinking water
Eight schools that reportedlead levels more than loo
higher than the safe standard, according to data obtained by the Star. Schools e
required to take steps to address high lead levels when they're detected.
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
A quarter of the B.C. schools and facilities that reported test results this year
failed to meet the standard for lead in drinking water. (CRAIGRJD / ISTOCK)
By AINSLIE CRUICKSHANK StarMetro Vancouver
JEREMY NUTTALL StarMetro Vancouver
Tues., May 8, 2018
VANCOUVER—Unsafe levels of lead were found in drinking water in 25 per cent of the
B.C. schools that reported test results this year, including eight schools that found levels
Five hundred schools and facilities this year reported the results of lead tests, which
were conducted between 2o16 and 2018, tothe Ministry of Education. More than 120 Of
those schools had a sample that failed to meet the Canadian standard for lead in
drinking water of o.ol mg/L.
Concerns about lead in drinking water were heightened in North America following the
crisis that hit in Flint. Mich.., in 2011,21. Still-, B.C. on*A)e an rexuiriag, schools to test for
I,; in their drinking water in the fall Of 2016.
'We need to start acting on this'® Expert backs former trustee's call to test for lead in
Alberta's school drinking water
More than 640 Ontario schools and daycares failed lead tests in the past two years
The provincial government began requiring schools built before 1990 and those with a
history of high lead levels to test their water in September 2o16, following a Vancouver
Sun investimation into the issue. Schools �umd to conduct lead te veijo thre-T
years. More than two-thirds of B.C. schools have conducted at least one round of lead
tests so far. Schools are required to take steps to address high lead levels when they're
"This is not a small problem," said Glen Hausman, the president of the British Columbia
Teachers' Federation.
"Kids need to have access to safe drinking water," he said, and they shouldn't be
expected to bring a water bottle from home.
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
Bodies such as the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics
say there is no safe level of lead exposure. Even at r lead can affect children's
brain development, cause lower IQs and behavioural. issues such as attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder.
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Bruce Lanphear, a Simon Fraser University health sciences expert who studies the
effects of toxins such as lead on people, said pregnant women exposed to the heavy
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
metal are more likely to give in early. It can also decrease the in weight of their
babies. In adults, lead is also a risk factor for heart disease and chronic kidney issues, he
said.
The Canadian standard, medical professionals say, is already too lax to prevent health
effects. In light of health concerns, a new, more stringent standard allowing half of the
current amount of lead has been recommended by the Federal- Provincial -Territorial
Committee on Drinking Water. At that proposed standard, more than 40 per cent of t
schools would have failed at least one lead test, according to the latest data obtained b
the Star through a freedom of information request. I
B.C. lags behind Ontario, which has mandated testing at both schools and daycares since
2007 and recently beefed up its requirements. In Alberta, however, schools are not
required to test their water for lead.
"On the one hand, I'm actually really pleased that we now have testing results,"
Education Minister Rob Fleming said of the results reported to his ministry this year. "It
was just two or three years ago, there was almost no testing being done annually," he
said, before outlining the province's plan to deal with the danger to kids' health.
Based on the test results, the province is giving grants to replace lead pipes
contaminating the water supply and supporting school districts to install water filtration
devices on every source of drinking water in their schools, he said. For instance, in
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"Kids should be able to get a drink of clean, healthy water from water fountains at
11
school, Fleming said in a statement at the time.
Though many schools tested more than one water source, provincial policy doesn't
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districts are expected to work with their local health authorities to figure out how many
taps to test and the testing procedure they should use.
The Fraser Health Authority recommends that school districts test all taps that are used
for drinking at all schools, spokesperson Jacqueline Blackwell said in an email. The
testing procedure usually involves taking a sample of water after it has been stagnant
overnight, followed by a second sample after the water has run for about two minutes,
she said.
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
Matt Kieltyka of Vancouver Coastal Health said while there is no specific requiremenI
for the number of taps tested, a larger sample results in a more accurate assessment.
To test, it's best if the water hasn't been used in six hours, so an early morning sample is
ideal, he said.
VCH asks schools to get their samples from a source of taps representing each "branch"
or section of the building's distribution system, then send them to a lab for testing.
Ontario, meanwhile, has one set of policies that applies across the province. Primary
schools and dayeares have been given until 2020 to ensure every faucet used for
drinking or cooking has been tested for lead at least once. Other schools have until 2022
to do the same. The province also has detailed instructions for sampling.
How these tests are conducted matters, Lanphear said, who noted schools will be more
or less likely to find lead depending how the tests are conducted.
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
if they want to know whether water from a tap or fountain is really safe to drink, schools
should be taking three samples of warm water that's running fast. The first sample
should capture the initial litre of water to flow from a tap after it's been stagnant for
hours. The second sample should be taken after the tap has been running for about a
minute. The third sample should be taken after it's been running for two minutes.
Testing only one tap at a school is "not really sufficient," he said, adding that unless B.C.
has proof there's no risk of lead contamination in drinking water at schools built after
199o, the province should require those schools to test as well,
Built after 199o, some schools that were not required to test for lead in drinking water
but did anyways, failed to meet the standard forte heavy metal, the data obtained by
the Star shows.
How schools respond to high lead results varies. Some schools shut down the water
fountain or tap, investigate the source of the lead and replace the offending pipe or
fixture. Others install filters.
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
12 31:
Sc,f-iools andfacifitles faileld at least 0,11,Cer
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according tothe proposed standard
Both VCH and the Fraser Health Authority said flushing the overnight lead out of the
system by running taps for five minutes or it the water runs cold each morning is one
way to make the water safer.
But the lead author of a new study who investigated the effectiveness of flushing said it's
a bad solution.
Evelyne Dore, a PhD student at Polytechnique Montreal, said her study shows lead levels
can build back up wn 30 minutes of a flush.
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
If schools are using
to address lead,students should be taught to flush the tap
themselves as a safeguard, she said.
The best solution is to identify the source of lead and remove it, she said, adding it
wastes less water than flushing daily or more frequently. Alternatively, filters certified
for the removal of lead are a good option, she said.
"We are beginning to fund more and more plumbing upgrades," he said. "What we want
to do right now is get rid of the highest risk sources of lead."
Until those sources of lead can be replaced in all schools, Hansman said school districts
should ensure,?-nother source of s-!w-,fe wzter in the schools.
With files from Alex McKeen
Ainslie Cruickshank is a Vancouver -based reporter covering the environment. Reach her at
aindie.cruickshank@nnetrmnevvs.odenemyNuttaU is the lead investigative reporter for StarNetnoVancouver. Reach
him at jeremy.nuttall@metronews.ca
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5/9/2018 Over 120 B.C. schools report unsafe levels of lead in drinking water I The Star
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