Lead testing bill passes in both houses

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Last week, a bill requiring all public schools to test their water for lead was given the green light by both the Senate and the Assembly, and is expected to be signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“It passed both houses and the governor is expected to sign it, as the final bill passed was a ‘program bill’ from the governor’s office,” said Christopher Goeken, director of public policy and government relations for the New York League of Conservation Voters in a written statement.

The bill would also mandate that the state provide funds for the testing and remediation, and require the Health Department to create an annual report based on these tests. Those funds are expected to be covered by the state under reimbursable BOCES building aid.

As the bill is written now, the testing would not apply to private schools, charter schools or daycare centers.

The problem starts, advocates say, is not with the public water supply — since all public water suppliers are subject to regular water quality testing — but in the pipes and water fixtures in the buildings themselves. “Lead contamination occurs when water sits in the pipes [for] six hours or more,” Goeken said, and lead seeps into the water.

The problem includes any building constructed prior to 1978, when lead pipes and lead-based paints were used in homes. Dr. Marc Lashley, of Valley Stream Pediatrics recommends that anyone occupying or living in a building built prior to 1978 let the water run 30 seconds before drinking from it. “It’s just a good practice for everyone to do,” Lashley said.