31 faucets with high lead levels found in East Lansing schools

Image: ELPS Superintendent Robyne Thompson

The latest round of water testing in East Lansing Public Schools has found 31 faucets with lead levels that exceeded the federal action levels. All have been shut off and none were used as drinking water sources.

In a letter emailed Tuesday evening, Schools Superintendent Robyne Thompson told parents and staff that the water testing contractor Materials Testing Consultants, Inc. had taken more than 1,000 samples from all the active district schools during spring break last month. Testing included two samples for each device. The results showed 31 sites where lead levels were above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Action Level of 15 parts per billion (0.015 milligrams per liter).

According to the EPA, the maximum level of allowable led in the drinking water is zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bio-accumulate in a body over time. In children, low levels of lead exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells.

Fifteen of the sites with high lead levels were in elementary schools, twelve were at MacDonald Middle School and four were at East Lansing High School.

Four of the sites were in Glencairn Elementary school, which was a surprise to Principal Lorraine Ware. Earlier this year, increased lead levels were found in an unused faucet in a kindergarten classroom and spurred testing throughout the building.

“At that time they tested every drinking fountain and then sampled faucets in each wing. They did not test every faucet in the school,” Mrs. Ware said today.

The three new sites were in a tiny custodial closet, a girls’ bathroom sink and a fifth grade classroom sink.

“Those sites have been turned off and we are all in the habit of letting any water in the school run for a bit before using it,” Mrs. Ware said.

After the initial high lead level result, Ingham County Health Department offered free blood screenings for all Glencairn students. The results were 100 percent negative – no child who was tested showed elevated lead levels in their blood, Mrs. Ware said.

The Ingham County Health Department is now working with the District to address a long-term solution for the elevated lead levels in the buildings, Dr. Thompson said.

More water tests are planned that involve flushing water through the pipes for 30 seconds and two minutes.

The full list of sites include:

• 3 at Donley Elementary – girls’ bathroom sink, mechanical/custodial room, library storage room sink.
• 4 at Glencairn Elementary – mechanical/custodial room, girls’ bathroom sink, M. Foster’s classroom sink, K. Nordquist’s classroom sink.
• 1 at Marble Elementary – faculty men’s bathroom sink.
• 6 at Pinecrest Elementary – multi-purpose storage room sink, kitchen 3 compartment sink, mechanical/custodial room, Z. Konett classroom sink, mechanical/custodial room, library storage room sink.
• 1 at Whitehills – S. Wagner classroom sink.
• 12 at MacDonald – unisex bathroom sink, mechanical/custodial room, 3 kitchen sinks, 5 unused sinks in V. Watson’s classroom, unused storage room sink in R. Voigt’s room, unused storage room sink in S. Jackson’s room.
• 4 at East Lansing High School – 3 in mechanical/custodial room and 1 in the wood shop room (room 715).
• Red Cedar Elementary School has not yet been tested.