Published: January 2019

ID #: CAS048

Publisher: Healthy Eating Research

Authors: Cradock AL, Poole MK, Vollmer LY, Barrett JL, Flax CN, Hecht CA

See more related research

Share


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.

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 More

May 2026

Beyond Added Sugar Reduction: A Narrative Review of Policies to Address Nonsugar Sweeteners

This perspective provides policymakers, advocates and researchers with a description of proposed and enacted policies that assist consumers in identifying products with nonsugar sweeteners (NSS) and/or reduce NSS exposure. Consumption of NSS is associated with multiple chronic diseases. NSS exposure is increasing as food and beverage manufacturers replace added sugars with NSS. This narrative review More

April 2026

Policy Priorities and Research Needs for Advancing Healthy Eating: A 2026-2027 Research Agenda for U.S. Children and Adolescents

Given recent changes to nutrition policies and programs and the food environment landscape, the need for new evidence on how these changes impact nutrition, health, and food access is greater than ever. HER has also published a research agenda intended to provide a blueprint for immediate (i.e., 12-18 month) research needs to inform strategies to More