Lead Concentrations in US School Drinking Water: Testing Programs, Prevalence, and Policy Opportunities, 2016–2018

Objectives. To detail baseline drinking water sample lead concentrations and features of US state-level programs and policies to test school drinking water for lead in 7 states' operating programs between 2016 and 2018. Methods. We coded program and policy documents using structured content ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of public health (1971) 2022-09, Vol.112, p.S679-S689
Main Authors: Cradock, Angie L, Barrett, Jessica L, Poole, Mary Kathryn, Flax, Chasmine N, Vollmer, Laura, Hecht, Christina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Content analysis
Data analysis
Drinking water
Ethnicity
Health surveillance
Hispanic Americans
Lead
Lead content
Lead poisoning
Participation
Public health
Public officials
Public schools
Risk management
Risk reduction
School districts
Schools
State government
States
Students
Surveillance
Water analysis
Water quality
Water sampling
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Summary:Objectives. To detail baseline drinking water sample lead concentrations and features of US state-level programs and policies to test school drinking water for lead in 7 states' operating programs between 2016 and 2018. Methods. We coded program and policy documents using structured content analysis protocols and analyzed state-provided data on lead concentration in drinking water samples collected in public schools during initial testing phases. Results. We analyzed data from 5688 public schools, representing 35% of eligible schools in 7 states. The number of samples per school varied. The proportion of schools identifying any sample lead concentration exceeding 5 parts per billion varied (13%-81%). Four states exceeded 20%. Other program features varied among states. Instances of lead above the state action level were identified in all states. Conclusions. In 2018, many US public school students attended schools in states without drinking water lead-testing programs. Testing all drinking water sources may be recommended. Public Health Implications. Initiating uniform school drinking water lead testing programs and surveillance over time could be used to reduce risk of lead exposure in drinking water.
ISSN:0090-0036
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2022.306961)