Water tests find lead in Baltimore County schools

Baltimore County Public Schools found elevated lead levels in water samples from14 of 21 elementary schools tested so far under a new state law mandating testing across the state.

Taps with lead levels higher than the state’s “action level” of 20 parts per billion were shut off over the past month, according to an online repository of test results.

The testing was conducted under a state law introduced by Baltimore County Del. Steve Lafferty in the 2017 state legislative session. It required Maryland school districts to test drinking water outlets for lead before July 1 but allowed for extensions.

Baltimore County applied for an extension and expects to complete testing by the spring, said Brandon Oland, a school system spokesman.

The county is in the process of testing water at all 169 schools.

“I was hoping to see that nobody had any problems,” Lafferty said. “But this was exactly the purpose. Let’s see if there are problems and correct them now before they get worse and before any child gets poisoned.”

Of schools tested so far, Pot Spring Elementary in Timonium had the highest percentage of fixtures with lead, with seven of 48 tests finding elevated levels. Five of those outlets were drinking fountains and two were sinks, according to results posted online. Those taps were shut off Nov. 7.

At Gunpowder Elementary in Perry Hall, eight of 65 fixtures — three of them drinking fountains — tested for elevated lead levels, while five of Fort Garrison Elementary’s 58 fixtures had high levels, including four drinking fountains.

Other elementary schools that had fix- tures test for elevated lead levels include Baltimore Highlands, Carney, Chadwick, Chesapeake Terrace, Frankin, Logan, Norwood, Padonia, Reisterstown, Wellwood International, West Towson

The school system has been testing school drinking water for lead since 2016, Oland said. It has not made those results public.

According to the EPA, there is no safe level of lead, especially for young children. Lead exposure can cause symptoms such as behavior issues, hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems and anemia in children.

Lead can be absorbed through drinking water, but not through hand washing, according to the EPA.

Full test results can be found at bcps.org/lead_test_results.