Lead in Water Remains a Concern in PG School District
Prince George, B.C. – They were not the results the Prince George School District were hoping for.
The district, in a letter to district parents, staff and friends last week, indicated that lead levels remain a concern in seven district facilities. They are:
- Edgewood Elementary
- Foothills Elementary
- Heritage Elementary
- Kool Kats Daycare
- Nukko Lake Elementary
- Nusdeh Yoh Elementary
- Pineview Elementary
Testing at the facilities was conducted by L & M Engineering throughout the summer with the district receiving their report on August 17th.
It followed up on prior testing in June 2016 which indicated higher concentrations of lead in those seven facilities than recommended in the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines (2014).
At the time the consultant’s report indicated that daily flushing of the water systems at these facilities would address the higher than acceptable lead concentrations though further testing was planned.
In response to the latest report, the school district says “the source of contaminants is being investigated with appropriate action responses planned.”
In the letter the district also indicated “sourced water will be supplied” at all seven locations.
In the mean time the district says water fountains have been disabled with signage asking students and staff not to drink from the taps.
The district said it will continue to communicate with parents regarding this situation until testing indicates the water meets the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Comments
This is just the tip of the iceberg, to use another news story headline. This tends to happen to our public schools when they get neglected to the point they currently are in.
.ctvnews.ca/canada/lead-found-in-water-from-hundreds-of-b-c-school-drinking-fountains-and-taps-1.3057274
What a shame that the NDP didn’t fix this problem when last they were in power!
There a lot of houses in town that if you were to check would have the same problem. Can’t be bothered to look up the exact year that lead based solder could no longer be used on copper pipes- mid 80’s I think. So if your house was built before then and has copper pipes there is a good chance that lead based solder was used. Solution run water till it is cold before drinking.
They tested water in school after running it for a minute and test was fine. It has been added to the list for custodians to run taps before the kids arrive in the morning. Have also seen that filters have been installed in some drinking fountains.
The city has a lot of plastic piping in the ground and pex is used inside houses, are we going to find down the road that bpa or some other harmful chemical is leaching into the water.
If a person is still concerned a reverse osmosis system can be installed for a couple of hunderd bucks.
Just as has been recommended for years for home owners to do, flushing or running your taps for 5 minutes before drinking gets rid of the lead. Nothing new hear.
*here
Huh, if lead in the drinking water it is such a common problem as you say, why out of the 31 elementary schools, 8 secondary schools and 1 learning alternative school is “lead” in the drinking water only a problem in these seven (7) schools?
I find it unbelievable that anyone would accept high lead levels in school drinking water as being acceptable!
Who finds it acceptable?
For how many Years is Lead in the Water ? And now it becomes a big News Item, any proven Health Effects for drinking Water with Lead Level that LOW over how many Years and how about Arsenic in Water ,it will never end if you look for it! Add to it, Lead based Paints, Asbestos in Floor Tiles and some Insulation. Next we will be told Fiberglass Insulation in our Walls and Attic is bad for us.
Avoid it all , you have to move far away in to the Bush and hope the Stream Water you are drinking contains no Mercury and who knows what other Bugs! Watch out for Bears.
Ummm… no… you read the story wrong, the lead level in the water for these seven (7) schools is HIGH enough to cause concern! We can accept “low” levels of lead in school drinking water, which probably exists in many of the other schools in this district!
However, this news story is about the “HIGHER” drinking water lead levels in these seven (7) specific schools. I hope this clarifies the situation you are no doubt attempting to minimize and down play!
From the Mayo Clinic, here is a list of the effects HIGH lead exposure can have on children:
Developmental delay
Learning difficulties
Irritability
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Sluggishness and fatigue
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Constipation
Hearing loss
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