mindi4nh

mindi4nh OP t1_j0nzjpe wrote

This map was made an effort to make publicly available data regarding lead in school/daycare drinking water more accessible to the public. You can click on the link below to see if samples have been taken from the water at your town's or city's school through May 2022. 
Schools like in my town of Rye have found lead levels above the standard but are not yet in this database.
A new law signed has changed the allowable quantity of lead in water at schools and licensed childcare facilities. The state enacted stronger protections against lead poisoning; the legal limit is now 5 parts per billion.
Lead can be highly toxic; it can cause damage to the brain and nervous system. Usually, in the state, children ingest this metal from chipping paint in old houses, but New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services officials say water can be another unsafe way to consume it.
In a press release, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services said facilities that have not previously tested their water for lead have 30 days to do so, and they must be tested three times before June 30, 2024.
The data shown here are reported by NH Department of Health and Human Services (https://www.des.nh.gov/water/drinking-water/lead-drinking-water) in schools and daycare facilities in New Hampshire collected between 2009 and May 2022. 
Childhood lead poisoning, which is entirely preventable, is one of the most common pediatric health problems in the United States today. We know enough about the sources and pathways of lead exposure and how to prevent lead poisoning to permanently eliminate this disease. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead's toxic effects. Lead poisoning, for the most part, is silent. Most poisoned children have no symptoms and lead poisoning effects are irreversible. The vast majority of cases, therefore, go undiagnosed and untreated. Lead poisoning is widespread throughout New Hampshire. If you suspect your child may be exposed to lead contact your pediatrician.
While there is no safe level of lead exposure, NH has set a legal standard of 5 micrograms per liter (ug/L).  
Key:
Green house placemarks indicate lead was not detected in the water sample collected. 
Blue house placemarks indicate maximum lead concentration in water was detectable but under the 5 ug/L legal limit. 
Red house placemarks indicate maximum lead concentration in water is greater than 5 ug/L (the legal limit).

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