Governor Hochul Signs Bill to Address Lead in School Drinking Water

New York Environmental Leaders Commend New Law To Stop Lead Contamination in School Drinking Water

STRENGTHENS PROTECTIONS TO INCREASE TESTING, I.D. THREATS & TRAIN STAFF

ALBANY, NY: December 23, 2021 -- Today, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law to eliminate lead in school drinking water by requiring schools to take action . The Safe Drinking Water In School Act (Ch. 771 of 2021), passed with unanimous support in both the Assembly and Senate during the legislative session in June.  Sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), the law requires schools to reduce the action level, test drinking water every three years and provide for the training of school staff in lead contamination identification.  

The new law addresses childhood lead poisoning in schools by reducing the action level from 15 to 5 parts per billion and increasing the testing frequency from every 5 years to every 3. Additionally, it ends testing exemptions for “lead-free” schools and requires that all test reports be made available to the public.

"This new law gives New York stronger protections for our children from lead in drinking water in their schools," said Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director of Clean and Healthy New York. "We thank Gov. Kathy Hochul, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Senator Gustavo Rivera for their advocacy to increase testing, inspections, and providing for training to prevent the devastating and too often hidden harms of lead poisoning lurking in many of our schools."

“We thank New York State Governor Kathy Hochul for signing the Lead in School Drinking Water bill into law, reducing one source of potential lead exposure for millions of children across the state. Children are the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead, which can impair their development and lead to permanent health issues. New York State has the worst lead crisis out of the United States, and according to numerous studies, Black/African American children in New York are most likely to have highly elevated blood-lead levels,” said Sonal Jessel, M.P.H., Director of Policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “It is time to take bold steps on protecting New York’s children by eliminating every source of exposure to lead. Children deserve to learn in a healthy environment, not to be put at risk of toxic exposure that hurts them for a lifetime. Thank you to New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera and New York State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried for sponsoring this bill, and thank you to all of the advocates who have worked tirelessly to protect our future generations from lead poisoning."

Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said, “New York is leading the nation as the largest state with the lowest, most protective, action level. This bill is a vital step forward to make our learning environments safer from pollution and help ensure that school communities have access to cleaner, safer drinking water. NYLCV thanks Governor Hochul for showing bold leadership by enacting the  tougher standards on lead in  school drinking water to protect students, teachers and all in our school systems.” 

There is no safe level of lead for children. The negative chronic conditions of lead poisoning include learning disabilities, decreased cognitive ability, and antisocial behavior. Although the harmful health impacts of childhood lead poisoning have been a matter of scientific consensus for many decades, it remains a tragically common affliction for children in New York. Lead poisoning disproportionately impacts low-income and communities of color.

“As the co leader of the Lead Free Kids New York coalition, the Children’s Defense Fund – New York celebrates the signing of the Lead in School Drinking Water bill,” said Kercena A. Dozier, Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund – New York. “There is simply no safe level of lead in our children.  Schools should foster healthy brain development in our youth, not permanently harm them through preventable exposure to a toxin as dangerous as lead.  By making our State’s school drinking water safer, this legislation holds the promise to protect many of the youngest New Yorkers from the harmful effects of lead – particularly our Black and Brown children, who are disparately affected by childhood lead poisoning in New York State.”

“Pediatricians across the state applaud the Governor for signing the Safe Drinking Water in Schools Act,” said Dr. Warren Seigel, MD, MBA, FAAP, Chair of NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, District II. As pediatricians, we know that there is no safe level of lead for children. We also know that schools must provide safe environments for all children. Implementation of this legislation which will reduce the current lead level from an unacceptable 15ppb to 5 ppb and require the public posting of the results on lead testing in all schools is a giant step forward toward securing a safer lead-free school environment for all children.” he added.

“The entire purpose of our schools is to educate our children and prepare them for their future careers,” said Bob Rossi, Executive Director of the New York Sustainable Business Council (NYSBC). "These children are New York’s future workforce. Removing lead from their drinking water at this critical stage in their cognitive development is not only the right thing to do, we can't afford not to do it if we hope to remain competitive for decades to come. We thank Governor Hochul for signing this bill into law.”

“This law will ensure that New York’s public schools will finally have drinking water that is as safe as bottled water. It’s a tremendous next step in the fight against childhood lead poisoning and I look forward to the day when no children are poisoned by lead in the Empire State,” said John Monaghan, a Lead Poisoning Prevention Advocate from Utica, NY. 

Enactment of this policy was a top priority of Lead Free Kids New York and the JustGreen Partnership.

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Lead Free Kids New York is a diverse coalition of groups from across New York working towards eliminating lead poisoning through primary prevention.