Lead in drinking
water
in schools and non-residential buildings
EPA 812-B-94-002
April 1994
The purpose of this manual is to demonstrate how drinking water in schools
and non-residential buildings can be tested for lead and how contamination
problems can be corrected if found. This manual is intended for use by
officials responsible for the maintenance and/or safety of these facilities.
Exposure to lead is a significant health concern, especially for young
children and infants whose growing bodies tend to absorb more lead than
the average adult. Pregnant women and fetuses are also vulnerable to lead
in addition to middle-aged men and women.
Drinking water represents one possible means of lead exposure. Some
drinking water pipes, taps, and other outlets (i.e., an apparatus dispensing
water) in homes and buildings may contain lead. The lead in such plumbing
may leach into water and pose a health risk.
The longer water remains in contact with leaded-plumbing, the more the
opportunity exists for lead to leach into water. As a result, facilities
with on again/off again water use patterns, such as schools and businesses,
may have elevated lead concentrations.
Even though water delivered from your community's public water supply
must meet Federal and State standards for lead, you may still end up with
too much lead in your drinking water because of the plumbing in your facility
and because of the building's water use patterns. The only way to be certain
that lead is not a problem in a particular home, school, or building is
to test various drinking water outlets (i.e., taps, bubblers, coolers,
etc.) for the substance. If lead problems are found, they can then be
corrected.
This manual is intended to aid you as the concerned school and non-residential
building official in determining whether your facility has a lead-in-drinking-water
problem. This manual is designed to provide you step-by-step instructions
for sampling your water for lead and correcting lead problems when found.
In addition, the manual provides background information concerning the
sources and health effects of lead, how lead gets into drinking water,
how lead in drinking water is regulated, and how to communicate lead issues
with users of your facility (e.g.. employees, students, concerned parents).
| Editor's note: This
scanned version of the publication (PDF files) is the best available
at this time. As resources allow, we will update or improve this
file. |
Complete Document
(4.1M PDF file)
Part 1 - Lead In Drinking Water Overview
Part 2 - Lead Testing Protocol
Appendices
- A-Directory of EPA and State Drinking Water Programs
- B- Glossary of Terms
- C-Water Cooler Summary
- D-List of Lead Resources
- E-Sample Recordkeeping Form
- F-Preservation of Samples and Sample Containers
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