HONOLULU (KHON2) — Education officials are investigating lead contamination at Waiakea Intermediate School on the Big Island.
Drinking fountains have been shut down after the kitchen water tested above federal limits.
Education and health officials tested water sources for lead at 77 middle and high schools across the state in the fall, and Waiakea Intermediate showed 10 kitchen fixtures tested above the Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of 15 parts per billion.
“Every incremental increase in lead, you see a decrease in IQ, and there’s really no safe level of lead for children to have in their bodies,” said Dr. Phil Verhoef, UH Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine clinical associate professor. “And so, you know what we know that is we’re literally taking IQ points off of them.”
Jennifer Bragg’s 12-year-old son attends Waiakea — students now must bring their own water from home, and large jugs are being provided for refills.
“And so he’s like, ‘Mom, yeah. Also, you know, they had to shut down all the fountains and everything because they said that there was lead in the water. And so they need to test it,” Bragg said. “And I’m like wait, wait, what?!”
Comprehensive testing of every tap, sink and drinking fountain will begin during the week of Nov. 11 at Waiakea. Results will be made available on the Department of Health’s website.
“Hawaii should be upgrading their, you know, their systems, their piping, especially in the schools. So I am not accepting ‘Oh, it’s old, deal with it,’ kind of thing,” Bragg said. “For me, it’s just unacceptable, especially when it comes to my children.”
Hilo Rep. Chris Todd said the silver lining is that the elevated levels were discovered through routine testing rather than in response to lead poisoning cases.
“I’m, on the one hand, I’m happy the DOE is taking a proactive step and trying to actively search for this and not just be purely responsive, but obviously it’s disappointing anytime there’s an issue like this,” Rep. Todd said.
The Hawaii Department of Education sent the following statement:
The Department of Education is working with the Department of Health to address elevated lead levels found in water fixtures at Waiākea Intermediate School.
Recent testing of kitchen fixtures showed that 10 of 11 sampled outlets had lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb). These fixtures are no longer in use, and the school has taken immediate steps to ensure students and staff have access to safe drinking water.
Additional testing is scheduled to begin the week of Nov. 11 to better understand the extent of the issue. Full laboratory results will be shared publicly through DOH’s website.
This testing is part of an ongoing effort to improve water quality across campuses statewide. While earlier testing focused primarily on elementary schools under a federally funded program, the HIDOE is now expanding lead testing and mitigation to middle and high schools.
We are committed to ensuring safe and healthy learning environments for all students and staff, and we will continue working closely with health and environmental experts as this work moves forward.-Hawaii Department of Education
KHON2 is waiting for more information about the other 76 schools that were tested in recent months.