Measure S3: Lead-contaminated Drinking Water in California's Public Elementary Schools

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• Detectable amounts of lead were reported in drinking water at 53 percent of all schools in the California study. First draw samples from 15.5 percent of participating schools (31 out of 200 schools) exceeded the EPA hazard standard of 15 parts per billion. Drinking water from approximately 6.5 percent of participating schools remained above the standard on the second draw. Second-draw samples are more representative of the lead concentrations that children are exposed to during most of the day. Data for first- and second-draw samples are available only for all schools combined, and not for schools grouped by year of construction.
  
• The percentage of schools with lead contamination exceeding the EPA standard decreased as the age of the schools decreased.
  
• The lowest concentration of lead measurable in the water analysis was 5 parts per billion.

Related Measures:

• Criteria Air Pollutants (lead)
• Drinking Water (lead)
• Lead in the Blood of Children
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders