This Brief summarizes select characteristics of state-level policies and programs to test for lead in school drinking water. It is based on a study from researchers at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of California Nutrition Policy Institute. The full results of the study, study methods, and state profiles are available through Harvard. Researchers found that many students in the U.S. attend public schools in states where not all taps are tested for lead. Currently, there is no uniformity in states’ approaches to create and oversee programs to test for elevated lead in school drinking water. In states where water was testing and data were publicly available, nearly half of the schools identified one or more water source with elevated levels of lead. Ongoing monitoring and standardized practices for testing water are needed, and financial and technical assistance could help support more states in adopting recommended programs and practices to limit lead exposure in school drinking water.
Published: January 2019
ID #: CAS048
Publisher: Healthy Eating Research
Authors: Cradock AL, Poole MK, Vollmer LY, Barrett JL, Flax CN, Hecht CA
Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)
Focus Areas: Beverages, School & After School
State: National
Resource Type: Research Brief
Keyword: Water
Related Research
January 2018
Early Adopters: Current Practices and Preliminary Findings in States Adopting School-Based Water Quality Testing Programs
The goals of this project are: 1) to provide a descriptive assessment of the current methodologies used in state-based school water quality testing programs compared to recommended standard surveillance elements; and 2) to summarize water lead content data derived from state testing programs and present and evaluate data by school social and demographic characteristics. First MoreSeptember 2024
Water Is K’é: Learning from the Navajo Community to Promote Early Child Health
Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is key to reducing health disparities. Since beverage habits are shaped by complex personal, community, and environmental factors, community input is critical to design any intervention promoting water. The research team worked with community partners to design a program to promote healthy beverage habits among young Navajo children. The MoreSeptember 2024