Get the “Get the Lead Out” Toolkit

From Environment America (https://environmentamerica.org/):

Our children need safe drinking water — especially at school. Unfortunately, as more schools and preschools test their water, they’re finding lead contamination.¹

Lead is highly toxic, particularly for children. It damages the way they learn, grow and behave.² As the new school year begins, it’s time to ask, “What can we do to keep our children’s water at school safe for drinking?”

That’s why we’ve created a “Get the Lead Out” toolkit. We want to share it with you to illustrate the facts on lead in schools and offer suggestions for action.

Lead contamination of schools’ drinking water is widespread. While headlines have often featured cities such as Flint or Newark, our analysis of available testing data shows that lead contamination is present in all types of communities — urban, rural and suburban.³

The problem stems from faucets, fountains and other plumbing fixtures that contain lead. Whenever there is lead in the water delivery system, there is a risk of contamination.

The good news is that we can all work together to solve this problem.

To learn more about how we can address the threat of lead in our schools’ drinking water, check out the full report and toolkit.

Our toolkit includes a factsheet, video, sample call-to-action materials and links to additional resources. The toolkit will also help answer technical questions — like how to understand testing results and where to find filters certified to remove lead.

Our advocates are also working to convince state officials to adopt policies that will get the lead out at all of our schools. But, as with so many matters affecting our health and environment, progress at the local level is often the key to achieving wider solutions.

1. John Rumpler and Emma Dietz, “Get the Lead Out,” Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund, March 2019.
2. John Rumpler and Laura Deehan, “Get the Lead Out: Back-to-school Toolkit,” Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund, September 2019.
3. John Rumpler and Laura Deehan, “Get the Lead Out: Back-to-school Toolkit,” Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund, September 2019.