3Ts for Reducing Lead
in Drinking Water in Schools
Nearly 56 million Americans, including 53 million children, spend their days in schools. School officials need to know if
the drinking water students, teachers, and staff consume contains elevated levels of lead because exposure to lead can
cause serious health problems, particularly for young children. To help schools safeguard their occupants' health, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the 37s for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools: Revised
Technical Guidance. It provides the information schools need to:
^ Identify potential sources of lead in their facilities,
> Monitor school drinking water for elevated lead levels,
>• Resolve problems if elevated lead levels are found, and
> Communicate about their lead control programs.
Although public water systems that supply water to most schools may meet EPA's
lead standards, lead can still get into school drinking water. As water moves
through a school's plumbing system, lead can leach into the drinking water from
plumbing materials and fixtures that contain lead. Testing is the best way for
schools to know if there are elevated levels of lead in a facility's drinking water.
Ensuring that the water provided in your school is safe for children to drink is a
fundamental responsibility. In addition to the health advantages, schools that
voluntarily test drinking water and make information about their program available
to the public will enjoy the following benefits:
> Enhanced credibility
>• Positive publicity
> Parental and community support
> Stature as a standard-setting "best practices" facility
Health Effects of
Exposure to Lead
Infants and children
exposed to lead can
experience:
> Delays in physical and
mental development
>• Lower IQ levels
> Reduced attention span
>• Learning disabilities
> Hearing loss
>• Hyperactivity
> Poor classroom
performance
3Ts of Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools
EPA developed the 3Ts (Training, Testing, and Telling) to help schools
implement simple strategies for managing the health risks of lead in
school drinking water.
> Training school officials to raise awareness of the potential occurrences,
causes, and health effects of lead in drinking water; assist school
officials in identifying potential areas where elevated lead may occur;
and establish a testing plan to identify and prioritize testing sites.
> Testing drinking water in schools to identify potential problems and
take corrective actions as necessary.
>• Telling students, parents, staff, and the larger community about
monitoring programs, potential risks, the results of testing, and
remediation actions.
DOWNLOAD The 3Ts For Reducing Lead In Drinking Water In Schools: Revised Technical Guidance
at no cost by visiting www.epa.gov/safewater/schools or
order a free copy by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
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Sources of Lead
Exposure
Lead is distributed in the environment
by natural and human-made activity.
(Past human activities are the major
source of lead in the environment.)
Possible sources of lead include:
*• Lead-based paint that can flake
off into soil, window sills, or floors
*• Lead in the air from industrial
activities
*• Dust and soil from roadways
and streets where automobiles,
which used leaded gas, travelled
> Lead dust brought home by
industrial workers on their clothes
and shoes
> Lead in water from the
corrosion of plumbing products
containing lead
Although most lead exposure occurs
when people eat paint chips and
inhale dust, EPA estimates that 10 to
20 percent of human exposure to
lead may come from lead in drinking
water.
Potential Sources of
Lead In Drinking Water
> Lead solder
> Lead pipe and pipe fittings
> Fixtures, valves, meters and other
system components containing
brass
> Sediments
Start Your Lead in Drinking Water Control Program Today
The first step to implementing a successful lead control program is to read
the recommendations found in the 37s for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water
in Schools: Revised Technical Guidance. Schools can follow the
straightforward guidance found in the 3Ts to:
>• Collect information on school drinking water and identify assistance to
help implement a school lead control program. The 3Ts provides tips on
finding past testing results; asking water utilities for help or financial
assistance; reaching out to state drinking water programs for support; and
evaluating existing resources.
> Develop a plumbing profile. A plumbing profile helps schools identify
potential problem areas and assess factors that contribute to lead
problems. Lead contamination may not occur uniformly throughout a
building and the 3Ts describes various factors that affect the likelihood of
lead contamination in order to identify those areas as priorities for testing.
Chapter 3 of the guidance provides tips on developing a school plumbing
profile.
> Develop a drinking water testing plan. The results of a plumbing profile
will help schools create their testing plans. Key issues to consider include
who will be in charge of the effort; who will collect and analyze the
samples and maintain records; and where samples will be taken. Chapter 3
of the guidance helps schools answer these questions and suggests
possible sources of assistance for school testing efforts.
>• Test the facilities' drinking water for lead. EPA recommends a two-step
sampling process to test for lead in drinking water. The two-staged
process will help schools determine if particular outlets have elevated lead
levels and locate the source of the problem. The recommended testing
plan allows schools to determine if the source of lead is at the sampled
outlet or within the facility's interior plumbing. Schools will find detailed
and easy-to-follow instructions on testing for lead in water in Chapter 4.
>• Correct problems when elevated lead levels are found. Addressing
elevated lead levels in school drinking water typically requires temporary
and permanent solutions. Chapter 5 recommends short-term solutions to
reduce the risk of exposure to lead in drinking water in schools and
provides suggestions for permanent solutions, such as replacing pipes,
fixtures, or faucets containing lead with lead-free alternatives.
> Communicate with the school community about a school lead control
program. Lead is a serious public health risk and monitoring school
drinking water for lead is one important way schools can protect their
community's health. Schools will benefit if they communicate about their
lead monitoring program with students, teachers, staff, parents, and other
members of the school community. Chapter 6 of the guidance provides
communication strategies and sample materials schools can use.
S-EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA816-B-05-009
December 2005
Office of Water (4606)
DOWNLOAD The 3Ts For Reducing Lead In Drinking Water In Schools: Revised Technical Guidance
at no cost by visiting www.epa.gov/safewater/schools or
order a free copy by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
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