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Shelter Island School Expels Foreign Made Faucets
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Faucets on two sinks in a Suffolk County high school where lead levels exceeded the EPA's legal limit are being replaced by "American-made" products. One school official believed foreign-made faucets may be among the causes for the higher lead readings found earlier this month (this is going to set U.S. diplomacy efforts back years). The other primary culprit is older lead pipes which were described by another school official as "pretty old".
The school made it clear students did not have access to the tainted water. The fixtures in question were a hand-washing sink in the cafeteria and a sink in the office of the superintendent. Other sinks were tested with results within the EPA's acceptable concentration levels. To remedy the violation, the school adjusted the pH of the water and committed to run faucets for 15 - 30 minutes each morning to flush standing water from the pipes.
Ten additional water samples will be taken and analyzed over the Thanksgiving weekend; five from faucets already tested and five additional faucets. Testing will continue every six months. In an attempt to further comfort concerned parents, the school's nurse applied the verbal tourniquet, "If there was any chance of exposure to children, the Department of Health would have shut us down". Reassuring? Next order of business; aspirin for school administrators.
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