LISBON — Six out of 10 water fixtures in Lisbon schools have been found to have lead levels above the state threshold, according to results from the Maine Drinking Water program.
Under a 2019 law, all Maine schools are required to submit water samples from all fixtures used for drinking or cooking to a lab for testing. Lisbon schools notified the community of the results this week.
Lisbon Community School had the most water sources which tested at or above the state threshold of 4 parts per billion. Seventy percent of the 80 water fixtures tested at the elementary school were above the recommended level.
More than half of the water sources tested at Lisbon High School and Gartley School were above the threshold; at Philip W. Sugg Middle School, 29% were above the threshold.
Of all the fixtures found to have high lead levels, only one is a drinking fountain. The fountain, which had a lead concentration of 5.5 parts per billion, is in the gym at Lisbon Community School.
The percentage of water fixtures found to have lead levels above the state threshold in Lisbon schools was higher than the state average of 27%.
At a School Committee meeting in October, Director of Transportation and Operations Allen Ouellette told the committee that the faucets that showed high levels of lead will be retested.
“There were no concerns when it came to our drinking fountains,” Ouellette said. “None of those have come back positive, or high in lead. It’s all utilitarian receptacles for the water.”
Some of these receptacles which showed high levels of lead will be replaced, he said. Others will be marked to indicate the water from the fixtures is not for drinking.
Federal grants are funding the testing program, however school districts are responsible for remediating water fixtures with lead levels above the state threshold.
Lead is a toxin which can impair the development of young children, especially those under age 6, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control website. Children are most commonly exposed through old paint dust, which is “almost always the cause of lead poisoning,” it states. There is no safe threshold for lead exposure.
In water, lead often originates from solder or from brass plumbing hardware.
Thus far, 27% of the 16,000 fixtures tested have shown lead levels at or above 4 parts per billion.
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