2017 sampling reveals more lead in school drinking water One year after the Star began asking questions about lead concentrations in drinking water at schools and daycares in Ontario, the province’s education ministry is telling boards they must inform parents when a school fails a lead test.
That new direction was given days before the Star published a story showing that more than 640 schools and daycares failed lead tests in the past two years.
New rules established this year require every tap used for drinking water to be tested by 2020 in schools and daycares with primary divisions, or 2022 for all other schools.
Previously, schools were only required to test one tap a year.
In Peel public schools, lead testing and any required repairs were undertaken in the summer months.
The letter did not provide any information about when the sampling was conducted or what lead concentrations were detected.
When Klement learned from the Star that the testing had been conducted over the summer and that lead concentrations above the provincial standard were found in samples from four of the school’s 22 fixtures, it was a “big concern” for her that parents were notified only in November, she said.
The province says this approach has in many cases effectively reduced concentrations Lanphear, though, told the Star that flushing is not a long-term solution.
He also said the school should investigate the cause of the lead in fountains where concentrations above five parts per billion were detected and plan to repair them within a couple months.
Wylie said it’s not enough to address the backlog of various repairs needed at schools across the province.

The Global Rundown The final aid agency in Bangassou, Central African Republic, is forced to evacuate, leaving civilians without water, healthcare, and other life-saving aid.
A majority of the drinking water in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps is contaminated.
The murder of environmentalists in Honduras is directly linked with water shortages.
“This is going to have a very serious impact.
Reuters Latest WaterNews from Circle of Blue Risks Grow for Deadliest U.S.
– Reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease are surging upwards.
The Guardian In context: Murders of Activists Defending Safe Water and Environment Rise Sharply Science, Studies, And Reports The number of Yemenis without water due to fuel shortages is nearing 8 million, according to a recent Oxfam report.
Although Saudi Arabia is allowing aid into the country, civilians remain desperate due to a continued blockade of commercial imports such as fuel.
Relief Web On The Radar Doctors from Médecins Sans Frontières, as well as a health and sanitation specialist, spent several days trying to gain access to the Manus Island Detention Center, where nearly 400 protesting refugees had been without food and water for several weeks.
Doctors continue to be denied access to the refugees.

The city of Auburn is one of more than 20 New York municipalities awarded funding to replace aging drinking water lines that contain lead.
Auburn will receive $698,134 through the state Department of Health’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program.
In the Finger Lakes region, the town of Lyons in Wayne County received a $538,096 grant.
Overall, the state allocated $20 million to replace lead service lines.
Andrew Cuomo said.
Water contamination is possible when pipes containing lead corrode.
Lead poisoning can be harmful, especially for young children and babies.
Thousands of children were exposed to lead as a result of the crisis.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said New York’s program to replace lead water pipes will improve the health of residents.
"Public health begins with access to clean drinking water, and reducing lead exposure, especially in children, should always be a top priority," he said.

Video by Geoffrey Wilson.
Wochit The City of Poughkeepsie is getting $544,745 from the state to replace lead residential drinking water service lines as part of New York’s $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.
Gov.
Andrew Cuomo announced Monday the state awarded $20 million to 25 municipalities in 10 regions for the state health department’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program 2017 to replace residential drinking water lead service lines.
The grants will be used to replace lead residential service lines from the municipal water main to the residence.
In a news release, Cuomo called the program, “vital to protecting public health and to laying the foundation for future growth and economic prosperity in these communities.” The Mid-Hudson region is receiving a total of $2.17 million broken down into Poughkeepsie, the City of Newburgh $544,745, City of Kingston $544,745 and City of Middletown at $544,745.
Rolison said the city will next put together a team including city staff, the county and the state’s department of health to create a plan for the residential drinking water lead service lines replacement.
"This is the beginning stages and to see what is the best use of that money… We have to do an analysis of exactly how large a replacement project would actually be for lead line replacement because we don’t necessarily know where all of these lead water pipes would be," Rolison said.
"Public health begins with access to clean drinking water, and reducing lead exposure, especially in children, should always be a top priority,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker in a news release.
Amy Wu: 845-451-4529, awu@poughkeepsiejournal.com, Twitter: @wu_PoJo

If Hemlock’s home were in New Jersey instead of Michigan, her contamination level wouldn’t just be considered unsafe, it would be four times above a proposed legal limit of 14 ppt for PFOA in drinking water there.
The testing has prompted tough questions about what level of PFAS is safe to drink, with state agencies offering sometimes confusing guidance about the toxicity of contaminants considered "possible" or "probable" carcinogens, but which are still being studied.
The EPA’s interim advisory level was 400 ppt — about five times the eventual lifetime health advisory set at 70 ppt in 2016.
In Belmont, Wolverine initially only offered whole house water filtration systems to homes testing above 70 ppt before agreeing to provide them to any home with any level of PFAS in a testing area southeast of the company’s House Street landfill.
Clapp, a retired environmental health professor at Boston University School of Public Health and adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, has studied the health effects of PFAS and co-authored research with Harvard professor Philippe Grandjean, whose estimate of 1 ppt as the safe PFAS level in drinking water is embraced by public health advocates unhappy with the EPA threshold.
Minnesota — home to 3M, which manufactured the chemicals Wolverine used at the tannery — updated its standards in May to 35 ppt for PFOA and 27 ppt for PFOS.
Is 2 ppt safe?
Is 15 ppt safe?
In Michigan, for now, DHHS says 70 ppt is the "safe" level.
"We’re going with 70 ppt because it’s a well-calculated number," said Groetsch.

SCRANTON, Pa. (November 24, 2017) — Pennsylvania American Water today issued a precautionary boil water advisory for customers in Sugar Notch, Warrior Run, and the Askam and Preston sections of Hanover Township due to low levels in a storage tank serving that area.
Pennsylvania American Water experienced a loss in positive water pressure on Friday, November 24, due to low levels on a storage tank caused by a broken water main.
As a result, there is an increased chance that the water might contain disease-causing organisms.
Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute, and cool before using; or use bottled water.
These symptoms are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors.
These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
Customers might experience no water service or low pressure until repairs are completed.
This information will also be provided on Pennsylvania American Water’s website at www.pennsylvaniaamwater.com, under the Alerts Notifications section.
Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.3 million people.
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company.

21 November 2017 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working with authorities in Bangladesh to urgently investigate high levels E.coli contamination in water drawn from wells inside the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Between 25 August and 11 November 2017, a total of 36,096 AWD cases were reported, –including 10 related deaths – 42 per cent, or 15,206, of which were children under age five.
“We are seeing an upward trend in infection rates.
“Contamination may be being caused through poor hygiene practices, such as the use of dirty containers [and] bad hygiene habits of the population in water handling,” the spokesperson said.
“We are stepping up measures to distribute water purification tablets to provide for water treatment at the household level as well as promoting good hygiene practices,” he said, noting that providing safe drinking water has been one of UNICEF’s highest priorities in responding to the Rohingya refugees’ needs.
Smaller settlements at risk of being overlooked Since 25 August, some 622,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar have sought refuge in Cox’s Bazar – bringing the total number of refugees there to an estimated 834,000.
Although most are in the main settlements, 22,067 refugees live in Shamlapur, with 16 people sharing one latrine that are mostly full or dangerous; 22,130 in Leda, which has only one latrine per 47 people – well below the humanitarian ‘Sphere’ standard of one per 20 people; and 29,915 in Unchiprang, where there is also only one well per 57 people.
Many are contaminated with E.coli or are too shallow to provide enough clean water for the population through the dry season.
IOM emergency managers say that the three sites urgently need to be developed, including providing vital infrastructure – access roads, lighting and waste management.
“Most of the temporary pit latrines are full.

21 November 2017 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working with authorities in Bangladesh to urgently investigate high levels E.coli contamination in water drawn from wells inside the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Between 25 August and 11 November 2017, a total of 36,096 AWD cases were reported, –including 10 related deaths – 42 per cent, or 15,206, of which were children under age five.
“We are seeing an upward trend in infection rates.
“Contamination may be being caused through poor hygiene practices, such as the use of dirty containers [and] bad hygiene habits of the population in water handling,” the spokesperson said.
“We are stepping up measures to distribute water purification tablets to provide for water treatment at the household level as well as promoting good hygiene practices,” he said, noting that providing safe drinking water has been one of UNICEF’s highest priorities in responding to the Rohingya refugees’ needs.
Smaller settlements at risk of being overlooked Since 25 August, some 622,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar have sought refuge in Cox’s Bazar – bringing the total number of refugees there to an estimated 834,000.
Although most are in the main settlements, 22,067 refugees live in Shamlapur, with 16 people sharing one latrine that are mostly full or dangerous; 22,130 in Leda, which has only one latrine per 47 people – well below the humanitarian ‘Sphere’ standard of one per 20 people; and 29,915 in Unchiprang, where there is also only one well per 57 people.
Many are contaminated with E.coli or are too shallow to provide enough clean water for the population through the dry season.
IOM emergency managers say that the three sites urgently need to be developed, including providing vital infrastructure – access roads, lighting and waste management.
“Most of the temporary pit latrines are full.

The Global Rundown Nearly 1 million people in Yemen are without clean water as a blockade by a Saudi-led coalition halts the fuel imports needed for pumping.
Libya fails to supply basic amenities or sanitation services to thousands of detained migrants.
Other cities, including the capital Sanaa, are expected to be in a similar situation soon.
Reuters Latest WaterNews from Circle of Blue U.S. Government Releases First Global Water Strategy.
– Report identifies water priorities in foreign policy.
Risks Grow for Deadliest U.S.
Drinking Water Hazard.
Humanitarian agencies are ramping up water aid to northeastern Nigeria as cholera cases spread among the 2 million people displaced by Boko Haram.
Relief Web Science, Studies, And Reports Chronic water shortages played a role in ISIS recruitment throughout Iraq, according to a recently-published National Geographic report based on over 100 interviews with farmers and agricultural officials.
National Geographic On The Radar The U.S. Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments for January 8 in a long-time dispute between Texas and New Mexico over management of the Rio Grande.

News Release — Vermont Department of Health Media Contact: Vermont Department of Health 802-863-7281 BURLINGTON – The Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with the Agencies of Education and Natural Resources, is launching a pilot project designed to encourage schools to test drinking water for lead at each tap used for drinking or cooking, and take actions to lower lead levels.
Over the next few months, Health Department and Department of Environmental Conservation staff will visit each school and work with its facility team to inventory and test taps used for drinking and cooking.
Water samples will be sent to the Health Department Laboratory for testing, at no cost to the school.
“Water is a critical resource,” said Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore.
“We are committed to making sure all Vermonters have access to clean and safe drinking water.” Moore explained that any tap that tests over the EPA action level for lead in public drinking water systems will be taken out of use, and state agencies will work with each school to identify fixes and re-test to make sure lead levels have been reduced.
This is an opportunity to help schools test their water, identify problems, and take often easy and low cost steps to reduce lead exposure,” said Deputy Health Commissioner Tracy Dolan.
EPA set the action level for lead in public drinking water at 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Because there is no safe level of lead, the Health Department encourages schools to reduce lead levels in drinking water as much as possible.
In 2016, more than 600 Vermont children under the age of 6 were found to have lead poisoning.
“Ensuring child safety is a shared responsibility.