In some Atlanta public schools, lead is 15 times the federal limit, testing finds

ATLANTA — Tests have found that more than half of Atlanta Public Schools buildings had elevated levels of lead in drinking water, with some as high as 15 times the federal limit for water systems.

Thirty Atlanta schools and other buildings have been tested so far, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which obtained the test results under Georgia’s open records law.

“What was most upsetting to me were the numbers that were really, really high,” Amy Kirby, an assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, told The AJC.

The testing, which began earlier this year and is expected to be completed later this summer, was prompted by national attention on lead in drinking water after dangerous lead levels were found in Flint, Mich.’s water supply, said Larry Hoskins, operations chief at Atlanta Public Schools.

In Atlanta, 14 schools and two other buildings had at least one source of water — such as a water fountain or kitchen tap — with lead levels above federal limits for water systems.

At most buildings, water from a single water fountain or sink had a high lead level. At others, elevated levels were found at multiple sources.

As a result of the testing done so far, water fountains and sinks with lead levels above the federal limit have been shut down, Hoskins said.

“We will not allow people access to those … until we are 100 percent sure that the drinking water is below the 15 parts per billion threshold,” Hoskins said. That’s the level above which water systems are generally required to take action to reduce lead in drinking water under federal law.

Atlanta schools with the highest lead levels include Usher-Collier Heights Elementary School; Inman Middle School; Grady High School; Crim High School; Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy; and Boyd Elementary School’s temporary site at the former Archer High School.

Parents whose children attend schools with higher reported levels should consider telling them to avoid school water fountains, Kirby said.

“I would consider sending them with bottled water rather than have them drink from water fountains,” she said.

No federal or Georgia law requires water in schools or daycare centers to be tested for lead.

The Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Clayton county school districts all said they have not systematically tested school drinking water, though some said they do water quality testing on a “case-bycase” basis, the Atlanta newspaper reported.