A critical opportunity: Detecting and Reducing Lead in Drinking Water at child care facilities

There is no safe level of lead exposure. As exposure from point sources like lead paint have decreased, non-point sources such as drinking water have become a greater proportional source of total lead exposure. Even at low levels, lead exposure is shown to harm children, contributing to impaired development as well as learning and behavioral issues. This paper summarizes the key results of an Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) pilot study conducted at 11 child care facilities in 4 US states to evaluate approaches to testing and remediating lead in water at child care facilities. Over 75% of first draw samples contained lead levels under the 1 μg/L level recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). However, 10 of 11 child care facilities produced at least one sample above 1 μg/L. Fixture flushing, aerator cleaning, and fixture replacement were evaluated as remediation strategies. Fixture replacement was effective when initial lead was above 5 μg/L. Aerator cleaning did not have a measurable effect on lead levels for most fixtures but unexpectedly significantly increased lead levels in approximately 30% of fixtures. The 2021 Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) revision was applied to study data to determine whether updates would flag cases of low-level lead in child care settings and was found insufficient to prompt mitigation unless high lead was present at most taps.