Vermont schools have lead in their water supply. How concerned should you be?

Many Vermont parents may have received a startling letter this year: A notice that their child's school found enough lead in the water to necessitate action.

"Any tap that tested at or above 4 ppb was immediately taken out of service for drinking or cooking. We are working on fixes to permanently lower the levels of lead in the water," one letter from Barre Town Middle & Elementary School stated. 

Every Vermont school and childcare facility is in the process of being tested for lead as part of a statewide initiative to reduce exposure in kids. As of January 2020, 25% of schools have been tested, but early results are showing the problem is widespread. 79% of schools tested so far have had at least one tap testing in the unhealthy range. 

Barre Town Middle & Elementary School (BTMES), as well as all Vermont schools, are required to take action for taps that tested at or above the 4 parts per billion (ppb) action level. The school's letter to parents also detailed the health risks of lead exposure in children. BTMES had a few taps with lead levels in the hundreds and thousands of parts per billion.

"This is a really big deal," said Andy Johnson, a South Burlington resident, after initial results showed a high percentage of schools affected. He expressed how "lucky we are to have the legislators that forced this bill into law this year. Without them, we would still be feeding our children lead!” 

More: Lead found in the water at South Burlington High School: How the school is responding

What to know about lead exposure in children

Lead toxicity damages the developing brain, so "there is no safe lead level exposure in children," says the American Academy of Pediatrics. Health effects of lead poisoning in children can lead to decreased IQ, learning and behavior problems, slowed growth and development, hearing and speech problems.

To determine exposure, children aged 12 months and 24 months undergo a blood test at their pediatrician's office. 121 lead poisoning cases in Vermont children were tracked by the CDC in 2015 for children as old as six years old. School-aged kids aren't regularly tested for lead unless there is a specific concern, typically an exposure to lead paint in the home.

How concerned should you be?

Lead levels are concerning, but what do the numbers show us about how Vermont schools are faring?

The Free Press shared the early testing results with Siddhartha Roy, a Virginia Tech researcher whose work helped uncover the Flint, MI water crisis. 

"Vermont is doing the right thing by taking action when it finds lead at or above 4 ppb. Parents are also right to be worried that their children may have been exposed to lead over the years. This is truly unfortunate, but not unique to Vermont," Roy said. He cited two nationally-focused papers documenting elevated levels of lead in water systems and in schools. 

"Our research team gets worried when we consistently (more than once) see lead levels at or above 5 ppb from a tap. I looked through some numbers in Middlebury schools and the high numbers in certain cases are worrying," he said. 

The Free Press also shared the numbers with Joe Hagan, a Burlington pediatrician. Hagan was mostly concerned with childcare facilities because of the younger age of the children. There is a stark difference between results of childcare centers versus schools in Vermont, potentially due to more modern construction and fewer taps. Only 13% of childcare facilities have seen at least one tap needing remediation of the nearly 80% tested by mid-January.

"Would I recommend anything else? No," said Hagan. He said Vermont was doing the right thing by testing and making children safer going forward, but there was no need to be overly concerned. He did, however, add that in the case of the highest levels, like Barre's, a sample of blood testing from some students may alleviate fears.

Why such high results? 

A combination of factors drive elevated lead levels in schools.

Elevated levels can result from aging infrastructure, and many of Vermont's schools are 50 years old or older. However, when comparing the oldest schools to the highest results, a direct correlation could not be established. For example, Barre City Elementary Middle School had some of the highest results but was built in the mid-1990s. 

Schools can have hundreds of taps, and not every one is for drinking. Hand washing sinks, fountains/bottle fillers, ice machines and kitchen sinks are all included in the testing. Every tap is being tested and often only a small percentage come back with levels at or above the actionable level of 4 ppb. Of the 5,944 total taps tested in both schools and childcare centers by mid-January, 16% (976 total) were at the actionable level. 

Once found, schools are required to inform parents of taps at or above the actionable limit and let them know how they're handling the problem. Michelle Thompson, a public health industrial hygienist with the Vermont Department of Health, said schools are taking the issue seriously.

"When we find elevated levels, schools are immediately taking those taps out of service so there is no longer any exposure," Thompson said. "And the fact that schools are being so responsive and even taking voluntary remediation action for caps below the action level is great," she said.

Breaking down the numbers in Barre

When comparing results across the board, Barre schools had some of the highest numbers. Each tap is tested twice — once on the first draw and again after water has run through the system (called the "flush" draw). If the flushed result is below the actionable level of 4 ppb, the school can simply replace the fixture. Higher numbers for the flush draw indicate an issue in the plumbing.

• Barre City Elementary & Middle School had a sink that tested at 25,140 ppb, with a flush draw of 46 ppb; another at 3,137 with a 5 ppb flushed result.
• Barre Town Elementary School had a classroom sink test at 1,130 and 396 consecutively and a drinking fountain at 871 and 23 in the flush test. 

The numbers don't tell the whole story, John Pandolfo, Barre Supervisory Union Superintendent explained. In the case of the two highest results, the sinks had not been used for years — the water was reconnected in order to perform the test. Because the water had sat in the pipes for so long, the levels were understandably high. The school then disconnected the supply line and took the taps out of service.

Pandolfo is not a stranger to the issue of lead in water. His son tested high for lead as a 1-year-old due to exposure to lead paint in their older home. Pandolfo tests his own water frequently, a practice he recommends to every family. "In a lot of ways it's great that attention has been called to it, it's helping us improve and catch some things."

The Barre City school was one of sixteen schools to participate in a pilot program initiated by the Agency of Education in 2017, when taps 15 ppb and above were considered actionable. Evidence from the pilot prompted the state to test all schools and childcare centers. Once statewide testing began, what was considered "actionable" was changed to 4 ppb, meaning Barre City Elementary & Middle School had to re-test the taps which had passed in the first round.

Pandolfo learned it was proper procedure to flush the lines for three weeks before testing. Without doing so, Barre's results may have been higher compared to results from other schools. 

Still, Pandolfo feels the tests taught the schools an important lesson that has spurred change. Now, their custodial crew employs a daily flushing protocol, flushing every sink, every day. 

Considering the school is 52 years old, Heather Slayton, a Barre Town Middle & Elementary School parent, was not surprised by the results, and felt the school responded appropriately.

"The administrators' response to the issue was swift, and communication via mail, email and social media was constant," Slayton said. "At no point was I concerned that the issue would not be resolved, or that my children, their peers or staff would be put at risk."

What statistics show so far 

School testing for lead in water began in the fall and will continue through December 2020. Just a quarter of the way through school testing, here are some notable statistics, as compiled and reported on the State of Vermont website as of mid-January:

• Of 112 schools tested so far, 88 schools had at least one tap at actionable level.
• Of the 733 childcare centers tested, 93 had at least one tap at the actionable level.
• 10% of total samples (both first and flush draw) for schools and childcare centers were at or above the actionable level.
• Seven schools had results in the hundreds of ppb or more: Barre City Elementary & Middle School had two taps (25,140; 3,137), Barre Town Elementary had three taps (1,130; 871; 117), Bellows Free Academy St. Albans had three taps (226; 206; 198), Manchester Elementary/Middle School had two taps (439; 225); Richford Elementary School had two taps (115; 109), Springfield High School one tap (486) 
• The highest number of taps at the actionable level were at Franklin Elementary School (22 of 24 taps tested high), Riverside Middle School (48 of 69), Manchester Elementary/Middle School (45 of 69), Middlebury Union High School (67 of 130 tested high) and Bellows Free Academy St. Albans (36 of 167)

What families can do

Finding out your school may have had high lead content in the water for potentially years can be concerning, but there are things you can do as a parent. 

Reducing exposure at home can help. It's good practice to flush cold water through a faucet for a couple minutes before drinking from the tap or filling pots for cooking. Hot water causes more lead to dissolve in water. It is also recommended to test home water regularly: Those on a well system should be testing for potability every year. If your house was built before 1988, it is more likely to have lead pipes or lead solder in the plumbing.

More:Local utility refutes The Guardian investigation

Roy shared more questions parents and concerned citizens can ask. Read the full email below.

Find results from your school or childcare center

The state of Vermont website makes it easy to find testing results, however, parents should be informed directly if their center had elevated levels detected.

School and childcare center results can be found at anrweb.vt.gov/DEC/leadinschools. There is also a helpful tutorial video explaining how to understand the information on the site.

Many schools have yet to be tested. The full testing schedule is online.

Ultimately, not much can be done about past exposure. However, Vermont children can drink easy knowing their water will be cleaner going forward.

"What is really great about this testing project is that we are able identify sources of lead and immediately remove them," Thompson said. "We're immediately reducing children and staff exposure to lead, that's a really important thing to do."