At least 11 school districts in New Jersey have recently reported elevated lead levels.
In the wake of the disclosure of elevated lead levels in some Newark public schools for the past four years, numerous districts in the Garden State have started testing their water and nearly a dozen have found lead in excess of the federal limit.
Thirty-eight public schools in Newark have lead levels over the federal limit of 15 parts per billion, and some school officials have known about the elevated levels since 2012.
Large school districts such as Paterson, Parsippany-Troy Hills and New Brunswick have also reported lead levels exceeding the federal limit. Fourteen out of 45 Paterson public schools were found to have elevated lead levels, compared to seven Parsippany schools and six New Brunswick schools.
However, one Parsippany school, Lake Hiawatha Elementary School, had a water source more than 100 times over the federal limit.
Other districts that have disclosed elevated lead levels in their water include:
- Bridgewater-Raritan
- Leonia
- Bergenfield
- Hamilton (Mercer)
- Princeton
- West Windsor-Plainsboro
- Ewing
- Lawrenceville
- Denville
In 2002, water testing revealed the presence of lead in Camden public schools, and, in some schools, water fountains have been shut off for more than a decade, WNYC reported. Students and staff instead drink from water coolers instead of fountains.
Gov. Chris Christie recently announced the state would begin testing the water at New Jersey schools this year and that the state would adopt stricter guidelines with regard to lead testing for children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe lead level in children. Even at low levels, lead has been shown to affect intelligence, the ability to pay attention and academic achievement. Lead exposure can be dangerous for adults as well.
For children up to the age of 5, experts use a reference level of 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in blood to identify children with elevated blood lead levels. In the past, blood lead level tests used a higher threshold of 10 micrograms per deciliter to identify elevated levels, which is the standard New Jersey still uses.
The CDC advises that children with blood lead levels greater than or equal to 45 micrograms per deciliter of lead in blood receive chelation therapy -- a treatment that's used to remove heavy metals or minerals from the body.
More information is also available on the CDC's website.
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.