New York State Education Department (NYSED) putting focus on lead testing - is it enough?

At Nature 2 Tap we are doing our best to educate the people of the United States in a manner that is as fair as possible. We don’t think enough is being done and most certainly not frequently enough, but that is because our awareness is abundant and we understand the necessity! That’s where we want to help as best as we can, as countless harmful lead interactions with people all across the country could be avoided if tests were conducted regularly and in a trustworthy way.

www.schoolhealthny.com states that the New York State department of health has issued a memo to School Superintendents regarding the requirement of testing lead levels in all water outlets used for drinking and cooking, in accordance with Subpart 67-4 of Title 10 of the Codes, Rules and Regulations of New York State. This is to be completed between January 1st and December 31st of 2020 and these must be first draw samples, meaning it must be the first water that comes out of the faucet that is to be tested. This was issued to all school districts and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services in the state of New York, and they are required to complete the second round of lead testing.
Where we at Nature 2 Tap disagree with the statement, is when they pointed out that “As a reminder, water samples should not be collected over weekends or vacation periods.” In reality, this is exactly when it is made abundantly clear whether or not any contamination is coming from the fixtures and faucets on site, or somewhere else and the first draw after a few days is a lot more likely to show a real indication of lead levels in the water.

The fact that tests are being conducted as a part of rules and regulations is an excellent step forward, but as a country we need to make a movement towards the correct testing methods and for them to be conducted more regularly than once a year!