Lead in School Drinking Water.

Lead levels in school drinking water merit special concern because children are more at risk than adults from exposure to lead. This manual provides ways in which school officials can minimize this risk. It assists administrators by providing: (1) general information on the significance of lead in school drinking water and its effects on children; (2) information on how to detect the presence of lead and how to pinpoint its source; (3) advice on steps that administrators can take to reduce or eliminate lead in their school's drinking water; and (4) the information necessary to train personnel in sampling and in initiating remedial programs. The school official whose responsibility it is to test for and to remedy lead in drinking water will vary by location. The manual outlines the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 and details how lead leeches into the water system. Suggestions on when to expect lead contamination, how to develop a plumbing profile for a school, and getting a school's water tested are also covered. Sampling protocol addressed includes general sampling procedures, sampling service connections, initial screening samples, follow-up samples, and sampling interior plumbing. The report concludes with a chart mapping an overall sampling strategy, two line drawings illustrating suggested sample sites for a single-level and a high rise building, a graphic depicting the flow of the water supply to a water fountain and bubblers from the central chiller, and forms for the initial screening and follow-up samples. The appendix provides information regarding the preservation of samples and sample containers. (Contains a glossary of terms.) (RJM)