Worried About What's in Your Water? Here Are Some Things That You Can Look Out For.

Charlie Lai

Everyone knows lead is harmful to the body, especially in children. In recent reports from Women for a Healthy Environment, more than 90% of schools test positive for lead contamination in the water. Thankfully, there was no lead found in Garnet Valley water, however, how can these findings affect the students of Garnet Valley? 

So how much lead is needed to cause any effects on the body? Columbia University's Irving Medical Center says that there is no safe amount of lead for the human body. Knowing this information, we need to know how we can protect ourselves and our communities from lead poisoning.

First off, we must know how lead contamination affects our bodies. According to the World Health Organisation, severe lead poisoning can cause damage to the central nervous system, can induce comas, and even death. Most children who survive, often develop behavioral issues or intellectual disabilities. In less severe cases “Lead can lead to a spectrum of injury across multiple body systems. In particular, lead can permanently affect children’s brain development, resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes including reduced attention span and increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment. Lead exposure also causes anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs.” 

Penn Environmental and Research Policy center tells us about schools violating multiple loopholes to get out of water testing and/or sharing their lead testing results. Some of these schools are Northampton, Altoona, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Norristown, Scranton, Upper Darby, West Chester, and York. If you know friends or family, make sure to 

Spreading awareness about the dangers of lead in youth and how it is still an

Making sure you have filters on your water sources is very important. Filters can go on things such as sinks, water fountains and more. Make sure these filters are certified by a third party to remove lead and replace them regularly. You can also take action by pushing for public places to have updated water filters. For example, if you see a water fountain with a filter on red status, push for the filter to be changed!

Another way to take action is to push for stricter legislation on our water laws! Talking to local committee members, school board, and local politicians can help make change to make our community a safer place for Garnet Valley.