Missouri children would be better protected from lead poisoning under a state legislative bill to require schools to nearly rid their drinking water of the dangerous toxin.
The , heard Monday by the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, would require schools to test drinking water, remove old coolers and filter water where lead is found. The goal is drinking water with a lead concentration of less than one part per billion. The state鈥檚 current action level for drinking water is 15 times that.
In telling her colleagues about the bill on Monday, Rep. Dottie Bailey, R-Eureka, said the legislation would require schools to test their water and then mitigate. Typically, she said, adding filters would be the best fix.
鈥淔iltering is going to be a lot easier than pulling all the pipes out."Missouri Rep. Dottie Bailey, R-Eureka
Lead is a colorless, odorless, poisonous heavy metal and neurotoxin that can have irreversible effects on organ systems in the body. Children are especially vulnerable and may suffer slowed growth and development, as well as hearing, speech and learning problems as a result of exposure 鈥� even at low levels.
鈥淭his is truly a kid-first bill,鈥� said Rep. Paula Brown, D-St. Louis, who worked on the legislation with Bailey.
State governments already have funds, provided by federal grants, for schools that voluntarily test their water. But if the bill passes, Missouri would stand apart from peers in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska by requiring action at such low levels.
The prevalence of lead poisoning has declined steadily in the last several decades. Forty years ago, more than 80% of children had lead levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter in their blood, more than double the level modern health professionals consider elevated, according to the . But while lead has been banned in gasoline, paint and pipes for decades, it remains in older homes and buildings.
Between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, more than 鈥� just over 3% of those tested 鈥� were found to have blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter. In , 300 children 鈥� less than 1% 鈥� had elevated blood lead levels. More than 500 Kansas kids 鈥� almost 2% 鈥� had elevated blood lead levels, according to the state鈥檚 most recent report. , where officials have updated their definition of 鈥渆levated鈥� blood lead levels under federal guidance, more than 1,100 children had more than 3.5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in their blood in 2020.
Iowa Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, has introduced similar ideas in his state and . But he said his bills haven鈥檛 gotten committee hearings, and agencies have been slow to act.
He said the lack of action was 鈥渁stonishing.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e too busy banning trans girls from playing sports and passing bills that allow people to use Ivermectin when they鈥檙e on a ventilator.鈥�Iowa Sen. Joe Bolkom, D-Iowa City
Eradicating the remaining environmental lead has been a priority for President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration, bringing about a national discussion about the toxin鈥檚 legacy of contamination. The infrastructure law passed by Congress and signed by Biden last year allocates $15 billion in funds to replace lead service lines in the next five years.
Bailey and supporters of her legislation noted federal COVID-19 relief funds could help pay for the efforts in Missouri schools. A House budget subcommittee discussed adding $20 million for lead filtration to an appropriations bill still being weighed by the larger Budget Committee.
The American Academy of Pediatrics in school drinking not exceed one part per billion because it is the lowest detectable level, although there is no known safe blood lead concentration. The Environmental Protection Agency requires public water systems to take action if more than 10% of routine samples have 15 or more parts per billion of lead.
The primary lead hazard to children in Missouri is exposure to deteriorated lead-based paint, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been working on that,鈥� said Bridget Sanderson, director of Environment Missouri and supporter of the legislation. 鈥淎nd now we just have to update our aging infrastructure to help protect our children.鈥�
Lead in school drinking water is common in states across the country. Harvard School of Public Health that of the 12 states included in the 2019 study, 44% of schools had at least one water sample test above the state鈥檚 lead concentration action level.
Some states are taking a more direct approach. Lawmakers in Michigan and Colorado proposed bills based on the Natural Resources Defense Council鈥檚 鈥渇ilter first鈥� model legislation, requiring schools to install filters without going through the hassle of testing. Proponents of that strategy say installing filters is more cost-effective than testing water sources.
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But that鈥檚 just a temporary fix, not a permanent solution, said Joan Matthews, head of the urban water management team at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Matthews developed the model legislation.
鈥淭he moonshot is to remove lead from plumbing, fixtures, fitting, and solder,鈥� Matthews said. 鈥淛ust get rid of the lead.鈥�
A truly lead-free school should not have any lead in its plumbing, the Missouri Filter First Coalition says. But the federal definition of 鈥渓ead-free鈥� in the , which took effect in 2014, allows for a weighted average of 0.25% lead across parts of pipes and fitting that come into contact with water in any system providing water for human consumption.
鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 an interim approach,鈥� Mathews said. 鈥淯ntil we get totally lead-free plumbing.鈥�
The and the are jointly exploring the issue of high levels of lead in the children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
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