Children are susceptible to adverse health effects from lead, such as impaired mental development, IQ deficits, shorter attention span, and lower birth weight. Exposure to lead is a significant health concern, particularly for young children and infants whose growing bodies tend to absorb more lead than the average adult. Testing water in schools and day care facilities is important because children spend a significant portion of their days in these facilities and likely consume water while there. Appended is a list of EPA materials on managing lead in school drinking water, letter to states, and summary of responses.

The safety of the nation's drinking water must be maintained to ensure the health of the public. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating the levels of substances in the drinking water supply. Copper can leach into drinking water from the pipes in the distribution system, and the allowable levels are regulated by the EPA. The regulation of copper, however, is complicated by the fact that it is both necessary to the normal functioning of the body and toxic to the body at too high a level. The National Research Council was requested to form a committee to review the scientific validity of the EPA's maximum contaminant level goal for copper in drinking water. Copper in Drinking Water outlines the findings of the committee's review. The book provides a review of the toxicity of copper as well as a discussion of the essential nature of this metal. The risks posed by both short-term and long-term exposure to copper are characterized, and the implications for public health are discussed. This book is a valuable reference for individuals involved in the regulation of water supplies and individuals interested in issues surrounding this metal.

This document provides an overview of the steps school officials should take to implement programs and policies to reduce children's exposure to lead in drinking water in schools. This serves as a companion document to the revised technical guidance.

The hearing reported in this document examined issues dealing with environmental lead hazards in schools and day care centers and the threat that lead poses to children's health, with a special focus on problems in New York City (NYC) public schools. Following an account of the opening remarks by Representatives on the committee and subcommittee, the hearing report contains accounts from the subcommittee of the disregard for lead hazards by schools and child care facilities, and of the lead hazard in the NYC public schools, including two documents, generated by the NYC Board of Education and the Chancellor's office, on the extent of the city's problem. Testimony was offered by the director of environmental protection issues for the General Accounting Office; the chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics; the chief of the division of school facilities, NYC Board of Education; a member of Parents Against Lead in Schools; a professor of pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center; and the chairperson of the New York Coalition to End Lead Poisoning. A written statement from the National School Boards Association is also included. (MDM)