Why do we tolerate lead in school drinking water?

The deleterious impact of lead is long-settled scientific fact.

Yet elevated levels of lead are still showing up in Long Island schools' drinking water. The exposure of our children to a dangerous carcinogen cannot be tolerated.

A Newsday news division examination of lead in drinking water was alarming — nearly 3,000 water fixtures in Nassau and Suffolk schools exceeded the state's limit. Newsday found there were twice as many fountains and other fixtures that initially exceeded the lead limit than are reported on the state's website. There are valid reasons why some fixtures — like a science lab faucet — were not on the state list, which lists 1,167 outlets testing over the limit, while Newsday's analysis revealed that 2,977 outlets were over the limit during initial testing. The initial results still should be posted online.

While the state's limit of 5 parts per billion is much better than the higher federal threshold of 15 ppb, these targets miss the point — lead is a serious health hazard. Even low levels of exposure in children "have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells," according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It adds: "EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels."

The state reimburses schools for making improvements, including replacing taps and drinking fountains, and installing filtration systems for single faucets, fountains or fixtures. The state's reimbursement, however, falls short when it comes to replacing pipes. The state will only reimburse schools to replace pipes that supply cold water "that does not impact" walls or floors. Those are few and far between.

Most Long Island schools are decades old and have undergone piecemeal renovations rather than complete rebuilds to save money. It's safe to assume that corroding pipes embedded in walls and floors are a likely culprit of elevated levels of lead in drinking water.

If one water fountain in a school tests above the lead limit, installing a water filtration system — or shutting it off — makes the most sense. But if a single school has numerous fountains testing above the limit, the cause is likely aging pipes that need to be replaced. That's expensive.

New York must offer financing to replace aging pipes for schools with numerous water fountains, faucets and other fixtures children drink from that are above the lead limit. The short-term cost will be prohibitive, but the EPA estimates that spending up to $2 billion a year nationwide will result in $13 billion to $25 billion in benefits. Long-term health care costs will drop while school attendance and performance improve.

While New York has made gains in limiting exposure to lead in drinking water in schools, it can't stop there. All pipes in every school must be lead-free before kids can enjoy a healthy sip.