Lead in NH Schools: An Issue of Environmental Justice

Students are being poisoned by their water fountains, and it is time to talk about it. 

During an internship at the Conservation Law Foundation last summer, I discovered evidence of widespread drinking water contamination in New Hampshire. In the months that followed, however, the media has remained stunningly silent on the topic. I believe it is our duty as Granite Staters (which we all are, whether permanently or transitionally during our time at Phillips Exeter Academy) to break the bubble and inform the communities surrounding us.

New Hampshire Senate Bill 247 requires all schools in the state to test their drinking water for lead, an important step towards accountability in a state already plagued by lead poisoning. The results of these tests, however, should concern us all—as of the June reporting deadline, some 70% of reporting New Hampshire schools found lead levels above 1 parts per billion (ppb) in one or more locations. Moreover, 25% found lead levels above 15ppb. 

As you may have heard, PEA’s results proved concerning, but the issue has since been remediated on our campus.

The results from SB247’s required tests are scary. Lead is a toxic substance known to permanently impact behavioral and cognitive abilities, and it is most dangerous to children who are still developing. 15 ppb is the official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level for lead-contaminated water. 

That is not, however a health-based standard backed by scientists or doctors. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that no level is safe for children, as lead’s effects are extremely dangerous even in very small amounts. Recognizing this, the EPA has set a lead goal of 0 ppb—a target that the majority of New Hampshire schools have dangerously missed.

Lead remediation is an expensive undertaking, and there are only limited state funds available. This reality has turned the lead crisis into a significant environmental justice issue: protecting students is up to the monetary power of each NH school. 

More recent Department of Environmental Services (DES) reports suggest that a number of schools have managed to eliminate or at least reduce their lead levels since I studied the issue last summer, but there are still too many students at risk. Parents trust that their children will be safe where they study, unaware of the dangers hidden in the school water fountains. Often, they are not safe at all. 

Thanks to SB247, we now have the resources to comprehend the severity of the situation. But those resources only help if we acknowledge our responsibility to take rapid, drastic action to protect the next generation.

It is also important to point out the need for national funding to combat water contamination in our state. Out of all of the presidential candidates that I reached out to, Tom Steyer (an Exeter alumus!) was the only one to respond. He too sees the urgency in this issue, writing that,

“When we send our kids to school, we shouldn’t have to worry about them being poisoned by lead. There is no safe level of lead in the body, particularly for children. I believe that clean, safe drinking water is a right, plain and simple. We live in the richest country in the world, so the issue of a lack of safe drinking water in schools isn’t a question of resources, but of priorities. As President, I would prioritize the health of the American people and commit the resources necessary to ensure that every child has clean safe drinking water.” 

If you are wondering how to help battle childhood lead poisoning, I encourage you to look on the New Hampshire DES’ webpage for the spreadsheet containing results for all completed lead tests. If your family members’ or friends’ school is listed with results above 1ppb, those people are at risk. If the school is in New Hampshire and not listed on the spreadsheet, the institution has not performed the tests. Reach out to school officials to demand that the school follow the law, address any problems and protect its children. It is important that as many Granite Staters as possible know about this crisis so that we can come together and protect the next generation from the significant dangers lead poisoning poses.