Lead in New Jersey Schools,Last month in New Jersey, officials shut off water fountains to 30 different school buildings after finding elevated levels of lead in the drinking water. Annual testing found concentration levels of lead to be abnormally high, which showed cause for concern and has required additional testing and monitoring. Bottled water was delivered to the schools at risk.

Parents have been informed that this is not a situation like Flint.The EPA claims, “the act of drinking water is usually not associated with elevated levels of lead in the blood on its own. It is the buildup of lead from all sources over time that determines whether harmful health effects will occur.”

Lead in school water is a longstanding issue in the United States and has been a focus of federal and local regulators.

“I understand in the Flint environment that any sign of elevation is going to make everyone go haywire, but here, the water system in Newark is still safe, it’s still drinkable,” the city’s mayor, Ras J. Baraka, said at a news conference. Mayor Baraka also asked for cases of water to be donated to the schools.

Parents should have no concerns about their children’s water and food consumption at school, the environmental department said, because the act of drinking water is usually not associated with elevated levels of lead in the blood on its own. “It is the buildup of lead from all sources over time that determines whether harmful health effects will occur,” the agency said.

“New Jersey cities have old, outdated pipes in our streets and homes, which can mean even higher levels of lead in our water,” Jeff Tittel, the group’s director, said. “Many of our water systems go back to the Victorian era, and even homes built in the ’30s and ’40s have pipes made with lead solder.”

The New York Times added that concerned parents can have their children tested at Newark’s Department of Health and Community Wellness. New Jersey’s largest school district==Newark Public Schools, has 35,054 students in 66 schools. This is affecting a lot of people.