Crawford County R-1 To Start Testing For Lead Contamination

The Crawford County R-1 School District on Thursday discussed state legislation to eliminate lead in drinking water.

Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation in 2022 that requires districts to test the water for lead and install filters in concentration exceeds five parts per billion.

Filters can either be installed where the water supply enters the building or at each sink or water fountain that is the source of contamination.

Superintendent Dr. Kyle Gibbs said the district is trying to get an inventory of every water source in the district.

It will cost $62 per spout, and if the school trains an employee to do the testing, the district can save on lab costs.

The inventory must be completed by August, Gibbs said.

Each line must be flushed for eight hours. If a test comes back with too much lead, it must be re-tested to determine if it’s the water source of the pipe. 

Gibbs said each re-test will cost another $62.

The bill passed by the Missouri legislature and signed by Parson in 2022 approved $27 million in federal COVID-19 funds to help schools test for lead and install filters.

Lead water lines are still used throughout the United States, which can leach a dangerous neurotoxin into drinking water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says many household plumping fixtures, welding solder and pipe fittings made prior to 1986 may contain lead, of which no level is safe in the body.

Missouri implemented a lead ban in 1988.

Elevated levels of lead in the blood can result in lost IQ points, behavioral issues and death.

Doctors agree that young children are most vulnerable since their bodies absorb more lead.

Early versions of Missouri’s lead testing bill would have required schools to take action at concentrations above one part per billion, which is the maximum level recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The bill was amended due to lawmakers determining that the sophisticated lab testing required to detect concentration levels that low was not widely available.

The bill also says that buildings housing early childhood education programs, kindergarten and elementary schools must be the priority when complying inventory and testing.

Schools must provide bottled water if there is not enough water to meet the needs of students, teachers and staff and districts must submit annual testing results.