Abstract:
Lead is an established neurotoxicant, and it has known associations with adverse neurodevelopmental and reproductive outcomes. Exposure to lead at any level is unsafe, and the United States (US) has enacted various federal and state legislations to regulate lead levels in drinking water in K-12 schools and childcare facilities; however, no regulations exist for higher education settings. Upon the discovery of lead in drinking water fixtures in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) campus, a cross-campus water testing network and sampling plan was developed and deployed. The campaign was based on the US Environmental Protection Agency\'s (EPA) 3Ts (Training, Testing, and Taking Action) guidance. The seven-month campaign involved 5954 tests on 3825 drinking water fixtures across 265 buildings. A total of 502 (8.43%) tests showed lead above the limit of detection (1 part per billion, ppb), which represented 422 (11.03%) fixtures. Fewer than 1.5% of the tests were above the EPA action level for public water systems (15 ppb). In conclusion, systematic testing of all the fixtures across campus was required to identify localized contamination, and each entity in the cross-campus network undertook necessary roles to generate a successful testing campaign. UNC-CH established preventative measures to test drinking water fixtures every three years, which provide a framework for other higher education institutions in responding to lead contamination.
摘要:
铅是一种既定的神经毒物,并且已知它与不良的神经发育和生殖结果有关。任何水平的铅接触都是不安全的,和美国(US)颁布了各种联邦和州立法,以规范K-12学校和托儿所的饮用水中的铅含量;但是,高等教育环境没有任何规定。在北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校(UNC-CH)校园的饮用水装置中发现铅后,制定并部署了跨校园的水测试网络和采样计划。该运动是基于美国环境保护局(EPA)3Ts(培训,测试,并采取行动)指导。为期七个月的活动涉及对265座建筑物中的3825个饮用水装置进行5954次测试。共有502项(8.43%)测试显示铅高于检测限(十亿分之一,ppb),占422(11.03%)固定装置。少于1.5%的测试高于公共供水系统的EPA行动水平(15ppb)。总之,需要对整个校园的所有固定装置进行系统测试,以识别局部污染,跨校园网络中的每个实体都承担了必要的角色,以生成成功的测试活动。UNC-CH制定了预防措施,每三年测试一次饮用水装置,为其他高等教育机构应对铅污染提供了框架。