OAKLAND (CBS SF) — A consumer advocacy group has joined a long list of Oakland educators and activists to call on the Oakland Unified School District to take stronger action to prevent lead exposure in schools after lead was found in the water at eight schools in the district.
The California Public Interest Research Group, or CALPIRG, submitted a letter to the Oakland school board Wednesday seeking several policy changes, including stepping up its testing for lead and adding filtration systems.
The group also held a press conference outside Oakland City Hall Wednesday to call for the school board to quickly make policy changes and allocate funds to address the issue.
Reports of lead in the water at Oakland schools first emerged in August, when the district acknowledged finding lead in the water at McClymonds High School after school officials reported problems with the water supply at the school, particularly one water fountain at the football field and the kitchen faucets in the cafeteria.
District spokesman John Sasaki said Wednesday that at the time, the district tested other water sources at the school and found no other lead contamination.
No school has had lead throughout its water system, indicating that it’s not the pipes that are causing the lead contamination but the faucets and fountains, Sasaki said.
“This is a really complicated and costly fix,” she said.
Children’s bodies treat lead like necessary minerals such as iron or calcium, storing it in bones, blood or the brain, she said.
Accumulations in the brain can cause brain damage ranging from developmental issues to seizures and coma in extreme cases, she said.
Recent research has shown that Oakland children are exposed to some of the highest lead levels in the country, though most of that is from lead paint in residences.