Courthouses to remove lead from water

Tests showed levels in Toronto justice buildings above Ontario standards

Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General will begin this week installing lead-eliminating filters on water sources in its three downtown courthouses after testing identified lead in excess of provincial drinkingwater standards.

The ministry is taking that action at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building at 361 University Ave.; Osgoode Hall, which houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the province’s highest court; and at 393 University Ave., a multi-use office tower that houses civil courtrooms and other ministry operations.

“The Ministry of the Attorney General takes the health and safety of staff and the public seriously and took concrete steps to address the problem once it was identified,” ministry spokesperson Brian Gray wrote in an email.

The ministry contracted an environmental, health and safety consulting firm to test the water at 393 University in December after cloudy and discoloured water was noticed in some of the washrooms.

Testing was conducted at Osgoode Hall and 361 University in January. Lead in excess of the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standard was identified in some of the potable water sources and also in some other areas that are nonpotable in all three locations.

After the results were received, information sessions were held with judges, staff and other justice participants. As well, signs were posted warning people not to drink the water from the affected sources. Water coolers and bottled water were supplied to staff, judiciary, justice participants and mem- bers of the public, Gray wrote. “These efforts continue pending the installation of leadeliminating filters on all impacted potable water sources.”

The filters used are NSF 53, internationally certified water filters which reduce the amount of lead in drinking water. Once the filters are in place, further testing will be conducted to ensure the water is compliant with the water-quality standard.

The ministry is also in discussions about future, regular testing of water sources in the courthouses, Gray wrote.

Lead is a toxic substance that can affect how the brain and nervous system grow. According to Toronto Public Health, those most at risk include pregnant women and children.

Water produced at the city’s drinking-water treatment plants does not contain lead, the city’s website says. But lead can be found in water-service pipes in homes built before the mid-1950s, solder used to join pipes together before 1990, and in leaded brass faucets and valves. As these items corrode and break down, lead can enter drinking water, the website says.

Construction of the Superior courthouse, commonly known as 361, was completed in 1967.