Lead in local schools’ water a worry

Eight facilities had test results above guidelines in 2016: official calls it ‘a concern that needs to be addressed’

Eight Hamilton schools and daycares were found to have too much lead in their drinking water during testing of individual taps in 2016.

“It’s certainly a concern that needs to be addressed,” said Eric Mathews, the city’s manager of safe water.

Mathews said he’s grateful for provincial guidelines that require schools and child-care centres to flush pipes daily or weekly — depending on the age of buildings — and test for lead concentrations in drinking water.

“Children are a susceptible population to lead exposure.”

St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Elementary School had lead levels in drinking water more than five times higher than the provincial standard of 10 parts per billion, revealed test results from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change obtained by the Toronto Star.

The east Mountain school failed three drinking water tests of individual taps in July, 2016 — one of them after the system had been flushed.

“We’re confident the 2017 results will show marked improvement,” said Pat Daly, chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.

“At St. Kateri, we changed significant sections of plumbing, piping and joints to the satisfaction of the public health department. As required, they’re being flushed on a cycle each day and will remain so for two years.”

In total, two out of Hamilton’s 56 Catholic schools failed lead tests. The other was St. Martin of Tours Catholic Elementary School in Stoney Creek, which had a standing water test above the provincial standard in July.

Two out of Hamilton’s 108 public schools also were found to have too much lead in their drinking water.

École Élémentaire Michaëlle Jean in Binbrook had lead levels more than

double the threshold while Queensdale Elementary School on the central Mountain failed a test after the system had been flushed.

Standing samples are more likely to show lead because they are taken when the plumbing hasn’t been used for at least six hours.

A flushed sample is after the water has run for at least five minutes and then left unused for about half an hour.

“Obviously we take the health and safety of our students very seriously,” said Stacey Zucker, associate director of support services at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. “We make sure we follow up and we follow the regulations.”

She says the issue has been dealt with at both schools.

One Hamilton daycare is using bottled water at one of its locations after standing- and flushed-water tests showed excessive lead concentrations. Today’s Family Early Learning and Child Care is using a filter at its Delta Adventure Camp site to wash toys and fruit. Kids don’t drink the tap water at the camp, which is located at Delta United Church at 47 Ottawa St. S.

“We’re completely on top of it,” CEO Marni Flaherty said. “There are recommendations and we follow them.”

Over the last two years, more than 640 schools and daycares provincewide were found to have too much lead in their drinking water during annual tests required by the 2007 provincial legislation.

It’s significant because lead is a toxic metal that particularly affects fetuses and young children. Even low levels of exposure can result in issues with intellectual development.

The number of failed tests is only expected to get worse as new rules about how samples are collected started coming into force in July.