Borough presidents want NYC to provide bottled water, other measures at schools testing high for lead
Adams: 'Health and safety of our children come first'
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined the city’s other borough presidents in a letter to NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, urging the Department of Education (DOE) to take “immediate action” regarding elevated levels of lead in the drinking water at some New York City public schools.
A retesting of fixtures like sinks and water fountains, following new guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection Agency this fall, found nine times as many water outlets with lead amounts above the EPA’s “action level” of 15 parts per billion as testing under the old guidelines.
Children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure because harmful effects occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults.