CPS Beginning Expanded Lead Testing At Schools
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Lead testing was set to begin Tuesday at hundreds of Chicago Public Schools.
Water sample testing began at 5 a.m. across the district. More than 250 schools built before 1986 will be tested before the end of the school year. After that, the rest of the schools in CPS will be tested.
The expanded lead testing at CPS comes after a pilot testing program found elevated levels of lead in three drinking fountains at Tanner Elementary School, 7350 S. Evans Av. Tanner was one of 32 schools tested for lead as part of the pilot program, but was the only one found to have lead levels above U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The lead testing at CPS was prompted by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where the water supply was contaminated with lead after the city switched from Lake Huron water supplied by Detroit to water from the Flint River in 2014. The highly polluted water in the Flint River damaged pipes, and caused lead to leach into the water.
Water at Tanner Elementary was shut off after the elevated lead levels were discovered, and bottled water was brought in to use for drinking.
"I got a lot of questions to ask. What's wrong with their water and is it still safe to keep sending my son to school?" said Tanner parent Akeya Herrison.
Fellow Tanner parent Benita Keith said all the students should get a checkup to make sure they're not suffering from lead poisoning.
At an information meeting on Tuesday afternoon, parents a packed the school auditorium to ask questions about the high levels of lead found in the school's drinking water.
Health officials offered free testing for any student.
Bernita Gilbert had her daughter tested on Saturday, the day after the school reported high lead levels.
"I was nervous. She's good," Gilbert said.
