Elevated lead levels found in water at one in four California childcare sites tested
New data, released by the state, reveals high levels of lead in drinking water at a quarter of the childcare centers tested statewide. So far, only about half of California's 14,000+ childcare sites have returned results, but out of those, one in four tested positive for lead above the legal limit.
Pediatricians stress there is no safe level of lead for young kids, which is linked to learning disabilities and developmental delays. But testing revealed that hundreds of California preschools had lead levels in drinking water -- at more than 10 times the legal limits.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), which sponsored the 2018 legislation that lead to this required testing at preschools, ranked the schools with the highest levels. Several on this list, including one preschool in Sacramento, stated the faucets in question hadn't been used since before the pandemic.
But CBS13 reviewed the raw data and found more than 170 other local childcare centers with lead levels above the legal limit of five parts per billion.
California state Assemblymember Chris Holden introduced the 2018 legislation that lead to preschool testing. He also introduced a new bill this year that would expand required testing and remediation at K-12 schools.
"The thing that shocked me," Holden said, "is that there are faucets in our schools that our kids are drinking out of that could still be...leaching lead into the water."
You may remember back in 2019 that more than one in five California schools tested positive for detectible levels of lead. But schools weren't required by the state to remove or repair the contaminated taps unless they tested over 15ppb.
CBS13 reviewed internal school emails that indicate some schools that did find lead didn't notify parents or fix the tap and years, later many are still in use.
"We have to assume that there could be potential harm in any one of these other faucets," said Holden when he introduced the legislation earlier this year.
However, the Governor has already warned he be vetoing any high-cost bills. So while the legislation is expected to pass out of the assembly, the bill's future is still in question.
Click here to see how your school performed (.xlsx file).