The PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center issued its annual "Get The Lead Out" report stating Pennsylvania received an "F" grade for efforts to remove lead from its school drinking water.
According to the report, most schools in Pennslyvania have found that their drinking water systems contain lead from pipes running through the school buildings to the drinking fountains and that brings a risk of water contamination.
The report states the School district of Philadelphia found that 98% of school buildings' drinking outlets tested positive for lead.
According to the 2021 report by Women for a Healthy Environment out of 65 Pennslyvania school districts, 91% of those found lead in their water.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Lead exposure can have serious consequences and there is no safe blood lead level in children, according to the World Health Organization.
“School is for learning and playing -- not getting a daily dose of lead-tainted water. Lead damages kids’ ability to learn, grow and behave.” said clean water advocate for the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center Stephanie Wein in a press release.
In the report, PennEnviorment suggested several ways Pennslyvania could keep children safe from lead-tainted water such as replacing drinking fountains with filtered water stations, setting a statewide, heath-based standard for lead in school drinking water and notifying the public about how school districts are addressing the problem.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
