Tap Water Contains A Wide Variety Of Organic And Inorganic
Tap water contains a wide variety of organic and inorganic materials, most of which are innocuous.
However, some trace constituents in water, including heavy metals such as copper, zinc, cadmium and
lead, are more problematic. Water leaving a drinking water purification plant will ordinarily contain
negligible levels of lead and other harmful metals. These metals enter the water during distribution,
through the corrosion of service pipes and plumbing in a process called leaching. Metals such as lead
can leach from pipes, old solder or fixtures. Although some corrosion of plumbing is inevitable, the
severity of leaching depends on the material of the pipes, the corrosivity and temperature of water and
the amount of time water is stagnant ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Of these, the Flint Michigan water crises was the most publicized, as it was exposed through media
attention after delayed action from the EPA and state government, and only after widespread elevation
in blood lead levels (EBLL) of residents had induced long term and even permanent health
consequences (Romain, 2016).
As a result of increased public concern regarding water quality following the Flint Michigan water
crisis, Chicago Public Schools began a water testing program to analyze lead levels in drinking water.
Of 527 schools in the CPS system, 327 CPS campuses were tested by Chicago Public School s Water
Testing Program in spring of 2016. Analysis of water in these schools, conducted by the EPA, revealed
that of the 6,167 water fixtures tested on these campuses, 184 fixtures from 113 schools returned with
levels above the lead action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb). In total, 34.56% of the initially tested
campuses had at least one fixture that exceeded EPA action levels (Chicago Public Schools, 20161).
The CPS school selected for testing in this research project was not tested in the initial round of
testing in spring of 2016. However, the selected school was tested the following school year, in
October of 2017. Results from the CPS testing indicated that none of the school s fixtures exceeded
15ppb, however, lead levels below EPA action level were found, ranging from 2.1ppb to 11ppb. Of the
69 fountains tested, 22%
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