Posted: | April 27, 2019 10:46 PM |
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From: | Senator Gene Yaw |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Lead testing / certification for school drinking water systems |
Lead contamination in schools and in public drinking water supplies is a real threat across the U.S. due to aging infrastructure and added replacement costs, and most schools are not regularly checking for lead contamination. As a result, I will be introducing legislation amending the Public School Code to require all school drinking water systems to be tested for lead contamination. The Department of Environmental Protection, in accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, shall develop regulations addressing lead testing of water outlets used for drinking and cooking in schools, as well as regulations for remediation. The regulations will also include a certification process. Lead is highly toxic and especially damaging to children — impairing how they learn, grow, and behave, which is why this deserves our immediate attention. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |