Lead Found In At Least One Drinking Water Tap In 92% Of Atlantic County Schools, Study Finds
ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- A new study is shedding light on the amount of lead in drinking water in South Jersey schools.
The Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center study shows 92% of Atlantic County schools had lead in at least one tap.
In Pleasantville, 45% of fountains and faucets were contaminated.
One environmental expert says that data is just the tip of the toxic iceberg.
"Lead testing is highly variable. The water from a fountain or from a faucet can still be highly hazardous even if several samples fail to detect lead," said Julia Geskey with Environment America.
Multiple New Jersey environmental groups are calling for new water bottle filling stations to replace every drinking fountain in southern Jersey by 2024.
Those stations are designed to filter lead.