Elevated levels of lead caused officials in New Jersey’s largest school district on Wednesday to shut off water fountains at 30 school buildings until more tests are conducted, but officials said they don’t believe the contamination poses any serious health risks.
Newark Public Schools notified the state Department of Environmental Protection on Monday that annual testing found levels ranging from non-detected to above the Environmental Protection Agency’s action level for lead, which is 15 parts per billion. That level requires additional testing, monitoring and remediation. The DEP has requested test results from previous years to be able to do a complete analysis. No building had more than four samples above the action level, the DEP said in a statement. READ MORE
