Arlington Nursery School Was Among 20 With Elevated Lead Levels in Water: Report

ARLINGTON, MA—Arlington Heights Nursery School was among 20 in Massachusetts districts identified in a new report by The Boston Globe as having tested high for lead levels in the water.

Fountain water at Arlington Heights Nursery School tested high at 24.6 parts per billion; The Environmental Protection Agency recommends drinking water with lead concentrations of no more than 15 parts per billion.

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Arlington Heights Nursery School Director Margaret Potter told Patch that there are three fountains at the school, and the plumbing to those fountains is disconnected but had been turned on to test for lead levels. Potter says that none of the three fountains are used by children.

"The plumbing is disconnected," Potter told Patch."The kids don't use the fountains."

The report, out Monday, covers 293 schools and early education centers across the state. You can find the full list of Patch towns here. 

While the testing isn't new information, the issue is how widespread the situation has become.

The report builds on an investigative report out Thursday from The Guardian that identified Boston and Worcester among 33 locations around the country that have used water testing "cheats" reminiscent of Flint, Mich. Both cities have since disputed this report.

Now, state data obtained by the Globe shows that a small percentage of schools tested - most in 2014 and 2015 - has unacceptably high levels of lead in the water.

Lead in drinking water is a serious concern, particularly for children. Exposure to unsafe levels has been tied to behavioral issues and lower IQs. The issue has gained heightened attention this past year, following revelations in Flint.

>>> Read the full story from The Boston Globe here.