High Lead Levels Reported In NJ School District's Drinking Water (2024)

Schools

Possibly unsafe lead levels have been found at 12 of the 16 schools in the district, officials said.

Posted Mon, Sep 20, 2021 at 9:58 am ET|Updated Mon, Sep 20, 2021 at 11:08 am ET

The Middletown school district seems plagued with problems at the start of the school year, as the district announced that possibly unsafe lead levels have been found at 12 of the 16 schools. This comes after the first day of school was delayed by a week after mold was discovered in several classrooms in late August.

On Sept. 10, the Middletown school district emailed these letters to parents and staff of the 12 affected schools.

The state of New Jersey requires all schools be tested for lead; the testing was done in the summer. According to Department of Education regulations, any drinking water source that has lead levels above 15 pg/I (parts per billion [ppb]) is considered too high and must be remedied.

However, some Middletown schools showed water samples that far exceeded the state's recommend safe 15 pg/I levels: At Bayshore Middle School, one classroom sink showed 560 pg/I in the first draw of the morning. Multiple sinks at Thorne Middle School had lead levels above 100 pg/I.

The 12 Middletown schools that tested high for lead levels are:

• Bayview Elementary School: One classroom sink
• Fairview Elementary School: One classroom sink
• Harmony Elementary School: One kitchen sink
• Leonardo Elementary School: One sink in the teachers' lounge
• Lincroft Elementary School: One kitchen sink
• Middletown Village Elementary School: Sinks in classrooms, the teachers' lounge and one art room
• River Plaza Elementary School: One classroom sink and a kitchen sink
• Thompson Middle School: Multiple classroom sinks and the sink in the nurse's office
• Thorne Middle School: Multiple classroom sinks
• Bayshore Middle School: Nurse's sink, various classroom sinks
• High School North: Two water fountains
• High School South: Multiple sinks in classrooms

The four schools with safe lead levels:

• Navesink Elementary School: No samples above 15 ppb
• New Monmouth Elementary School: No samples above 15 ppb
• Nut Swamp Elementary School: No samples above 15 ppb
• Ocean Avenue Elementary School: No samples above 15 ppb

Water has been turned off at all the affected sinks and water fountains, said Amy Doherty, the Middletown school district's business administrator.

In some rooms that need water, such as science labs and kitchens, signs have been put up that read: “DO NOT DRINK — SAFE FOR HANDWASHING ONLY."

From the Middletown school district:

Health Effects of Lead

High levels of lead in drinking water can cause health problems. Lead is most dangerous for pregnant women, infants, and children under 6 years of age. It can cause damage to the brain and kidneys, and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body.

Exposure to high levels of lead during pregnancy contributes to low birth weight and developmental delays in infants. In young children, lead exposure can lower IQ levels, affect hearing, reduce attention span, and hurt school performance. At very high levels, lead can even cause brain damage. Adults with kidney problems and high blood pressure can be affected by low levels of lead more than healthy adults.

How Lead Enters our Water

Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants in that it seldom occurs naturally in water supplies like groundwater, rivers and lakes. Instead, lead comes from old pipes, as a result of the corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in the water distribution system and in building plumbing. These materials include lead-based solder used to join copper pipe, brass, and chrome-plated brass faucets.

In 1986, Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2 percent lead, and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes and other plumbing materials. However, even the lead in plumbing materials meeting these new requirements is subject to corrosion. When water stands in lead pipes or plumbing systems containing lead for several hours or more, the lead may dissolve into the drinking water.

This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning may contain fairly high levels of lead, so it's always best to let the water faucet run first thing in the morning, especially if you live in an older home.

Related: Mold Discovery Delays Middletown School Start Date To Sept. 13 (Aug. 31)

Be the first to know. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com