Athletic teams' water remains untested for lead

Two frequently used water sources were not tested in the recent MCPS lead-in-water tests conducted at Blair, according to a report listing the test results. All electric water coolers (fountains) tested at safe lead levels.

Many of Blair's athletic teams consume water from two faucets. One, a tub faucet located in the training room between the boys and girls locker rooms, is used to fill portable water coolers for the teams, according to physical education teacher Cynthia Changuris. MCPS tested the sink faucet and icemaker in the training room but failed to test the tub faucet.

The second untested faucet is in the stadium concession stand and is used by Blair's baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer and football teams, according to physical education teacher Louis Hoelman. The Athletic Boosters Club also uses the faucet at sporting events, according to member Jill Woo.

In addition, MCPS did not test six of 12 outdoor spigots. The six that they did test had lead levels above 20 parts per billion (ppb), the legal EPA limit. In all of Blair, 455 water sources were tested, and of these, 237 had levels above 20 ppb.

Any lead concentration above 20 ppb is considered hazardous to human health. High levels of lead in drinking water may result in increased blood pressure and kidney problems in adults and mental retardation in children, according to the EPA web site. In organ systems, the effects of lead poisoning are cumulative, remaining up to thirty years in bones, according to an article by Razak Lajis, a pharmacist from the National Poison Center.

Two outdoor faucets were the top offenders in the lead report. The spigot in the staff courtyard and the outdoor spigot near the back entrance of the Studio Art room registered lead levels of 2,309.5 ppb and 1,344.9 ppb, respectively.

Of the top 15 faucets, as opposed to spigots and water coolers, with reported high levels of lead, 12 were in black fume hoods in science classrooms. At least one teacher in each of the 12 classrooms has stated that the faucet has not been used often and that he or she has not seen anyone flush out the violating faucet to deal with lead contamination, as mandated by MCPS.

The highest classroom offender was room 215, which tested at 1,312.61 ppb. As a physics classroom, room 215 has never had cause to use its fume hood, according to physics teacher Karen Hillmer. "I, frankly, did not know that there was a faucet in [the fume hood]," she said.

Three cafeteria kitchen faucets used for hand-washing had lead levels between 66 ppb and 75 ppb. The two faucets in the kitchen used for salad-rinsing and Ramen noodle water tested safe at lead levels of 7.3 ppb and 9.1 ppb respectively. All faucets in the kitchen that are meant for drinking water are flushed 15 minutes every four hours daily, according to Blair's cafeteria manager, Maddalena Bianchini.

The sinks for rinsing dishes, the faucets for drinking water and the hand-washing sinks are all located in separate areas in the kitchen. The cafeteria has never received any assistance in flushing faucets and has never been instructed to flush hand-washing sinks.

In a letter distributed to students last month, Principal Philip Gainous wrote that Blair's flushing protocol includes flushing all electric water coolers for 15 minutes every four hours and water bubblers and kitchen faucets for 60 seconds every four hours. Blair does not flush outdoor spigots since they are not child-accessible drinking-water sources, according to Building Service Manager Quentin Middleton.

In an e-mail last week, Sean Yarup, Environmental Safety Manager for MCPS, wrote that outdoor spigots are a secondary drinking water source. "Outdoor spigots at all schools were tested because some have the potential for use by individuals involved in athletic activities," he said. MCPS requires all potential drinking water sources other than coolers to be flushed for 60 seconds to prevent lead contamination.

Lead enters tap water through corrosion of plumbing materials. Before 1986, plumbing materials generally contained a high amount of lead. However, even "lead-free" pipes used in modern plumbing may contain up to eight percent lead, which can increase the lead level in the water in the first several months after installation.

Benjamin Banneker Middle School reported a lead level of 40,206.3 ppb, the highest of any water source in MCPS. The offending source is in a girls' bathroom from an indoor spigot which no one drinks from, according to Elizabeth Cole, Banneker's administrative secretary. So far, 185 MCPS facilities have been tested for elevated levels of lead.

The following water sources registered lead concentrations above 20 ppb in the lead report: