A new report released Thursday details the amount of lead found in drinking water at schools across New York state.<\/p>\n
Get the Lead Out New York<\/a> shows that \u201capproximately nearly one out of every two schools\u201d in New York had \u201cdrinking water samples contaminated with lead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOut of all of these findings, one of the worst parts might be is that we just might be at the tip of the toxic iceberg when it comes to lead in drinking water in New York state,\u201d said Kate Canada, of Environment America Research & Policy Center.<\/p>\n The report was compiled with data supplied to the New York State Department of Health by 4,514 schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services locations who self-reported from across the state from 2023-2026.<\/p>\n The data revealed 42% of New York schools reported at least one water outlet used for drinking or cooking exceeded lead levels of 5 parts per billion.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are thousands of outlets and drinking water sources that have not been tested,” said Canada. \u201cLead at any level is bad especially for children. It can lead to learning disabilities, hearing and speech problems, and IQ loss.\u201d<\/p>\n From the water outlets that have been tested, Jefferson (84.6%), St. Lawrence (80.5%), Chautauqua (79.4%), Lewis (78.6%) and Tompkins (75%) counties had the highest percentages of at least one outlet testing above what\u2019s considered safe.<\/p>\n Multiple events were held Thursday in Buffalo, Rochester and the state Capitol in Albany to get the word out about the report. It was released by the New York Public Interest Research Group and Environment America Research & Policy Center. They\u2019re calling on the governor and state Legislature to act to improve protections.<\/p>\n \u201cThe existing program is not working like it should,\u201d said Blair Horner, NYPIRG senior policy advisor. \u201cWe think a filtration system placed on all drinking water outlets at every school should be a key component of reform.\u201d<\/p>\n Advocates and advisors said this report is troubling following New York becoming the first state in the nation to mandate periodic testing for lead in all public school districts back in 2016.<\/p>\n