West Geauga Campus is a public water system regulated by the EPA. This is a required notification that tests for lead and copper were done at the middle and high school. Test results are below the EPA action level of 15 parts per billion lead and 1300 parts per billion copper.
Lead Copper
Middle school break room maintenance <2.0 410
Middle school men’s room faucet <2.0 27
High school maintenance break room <2.0 910
High school office break room <2.0 860
HEALTH EFFECTS OF LEAD
Lead is a common metal found throughout the environment in lead-based paint, air, soil, household dust, food, certain types of pottery, porcelain, pewter and water. Lead can pose a significant risk to your health if too much of it enters your body. Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children and pregnant women. Amounts of lead that won't hurt adults can slow down normal mental and physical development of growing bodies. In addition, a child at play often comes into contact with sources of lead contamination - like dirt and dust - that rarely affect an adult. It is important to wash children's hands and toys often and to try to make sure that they only put food into their mouths.
LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
A. Lead in drinking water, although rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, can significantly increase a person's total lead exposure, particularly the exposure of infants who drink baby formulas and concentrated juices that are mixed with water. The USEPA estimates that drinking water can make up 20 percent or more of a person's total exposure to lead.
B. Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants in that it seldom occurs naturally in water supplies like rivers and lakes. Lead enters drinking water primarily as a result of the corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in the water distribution system and household plumbing. These materials include lead-based solder used to join copper pipes, brass and chrome plated faucets (and "in some cases; pipes made of lead that connect houses arid to water mains or services lines).
1986, Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes and other plumbing materials to 8.0%.
C. When water stands in plumbing systems containing lead for several hours or more, the lead may dissolve into your drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon if the water has not been used all day, can contain fairly high levels of lead.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
A. Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water in a faucet bas gone unused for more than six hours. The longer water resides in plumbing the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet for 15-30 seconds. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the plumbing system, you will need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking. Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your health. It usually takes less than one or two gallons of water. To conserve water, find a couple of bottles for drinking water after flushing the tap, and whenever possible use the first flush water to wash dishes or water plants.
B. Try not to cook or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve more lead more quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and then heat it
C. The steps described above will reduce the lead concentrations in your drinking water. However, if you are still concerned, you may wish to use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
D. You can consult a variety of sources for additional information. Your family doctor of pediatrician can perform a blood test fur lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead.