OPINION: POISONOUS PIPES: A call for action in our city schools
With so many hot-bed issues facing New York City schools and children today, lead poisoning is certainly one that can easily get pushed to the back burner. However, the sad reality is that New York City public school children have unknowingly been exposed to lead contaminated water every single school day for the past 10 years. In tests conducted last year, hazardous levels of lead were found in water in at least 83 percent of New York City Public Schools that were tested. Toxic heavy metal above the EPA “action level” was found in the water fountains, bathrooms and cafeterias that our children use every day. To compound this, it has been more than 10 years since the water had been officially tested in some schools, and others simply have never been tested at all. Not only is this unconscionable, it’s alarming.
Though it can be considered in the category of a “silent prey” the effects of lead toxicity are devastating and insidious. Very small amounts of lead can cause autism, ADHD, defiant behavior, decreased intelligence and increased aggression. Higher amounts can result in hearing and speech impairments, kidney failure, seizures, miscarriages, coma and death. Despite this, New York standards for testing children follow a painfully outdated law from 1992. Because we have not yet updated this law, doctors are blindly following state protocol. Unfortunately, this allows children to have twice the maximum amount of lead currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.
The good news is that the NYC Department of Education was swift in response following the test results and ensured that sources of contamination were secured. Parents were informed of the discovery and contaminated fixtures were replaced or sealed off. Nonetheless, the bad news lies in the fact that almost all New York school children in all five boroughs may have been exposed to lead contaminated water for years.