Discusses concerns over potentially high lead levels in artificial sports turf, as indicated by tests on fields in New Jersey. Information on the presence of lead in various types of fibers, recommendations for use of artificial fields in order to minimize lead exposure, and testing of artificial fields is provided. 3p.

Presents a brief list of six questions and answers addressing concerns of those who might have played at artificial turf fields in New Jersey that have been found to contain lead. 2p.

Provides basic facts about lead and information about lead safety when work is being childcare facilities or schools. These include basic facts about lead and health, how to choose a contractor, how to prepare for the renovation or repair job, what to look for during the job and after the job is done, and where to get more information about lead 20p.

Addresses concerns over chemical and other hazards of artificial turf fields. Ingredients in the crumb rubber filling, abrasions, higher surface temperatures, and potential for lead in the fibers are discussed. 3p.

Helps school employees and parents recognize potential environmental health issues at schools, both indoors and outdoors. It includes basic information about mold, radon, VOCs, ventilation, asbestos, lead, mercury, chemicals, pesticides, PCBs, UV radiation, diesel fumes, air quality forecasts, and oil storage. Also provided are links to web sites that offer more information and guidance on how to have a healthier school environment and comply with relevant laws. 16p.

To provide additional protection for children across the country, EPA is proposing that contractors and construction professionals doing renovation in child-occupied facilities that contain lead-based paint follow lead-safe work practices, and have accredited training and certification. The primary purpose of this supplemental proposal is to prevent the creation of new lead-based paint hazards from renovation activities in child-occupied facilities. The proposal defines a child-occupied facility in terms of the number of hours a child under age 6 spends there on a regular basis. Child-occupied facilities may be located in housing or in public or commercial buildings. They include child care centers, preschools, and kindergarten classrooms. EPA's analysis indicates that renovation, repair and painting projects in child-occupied facilities that are likely to contain lead-based paint may affect as many as 916,000 children under age 6 annually.

Establishes a new child-specific health guidance value (HGV) for lead, for use in health risk assessment at school sites pursuant to California's Health and Safety Code Section 901(g). These models can be used to estimate acceptable lead levels in soil and other media to be compared with measured concentrations in the environment at existing or proposed school sites. 107p.

Presents facility-related information from The Centers for Disease Control's 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS). Text, graphs, and tables illustrate percentages of states, districts, and individual schools setting requirements for indoor air quality, pest management, drinking water, hazardous materials handling, foodservice facilities, and cleaning procedures. 2p.

Explains why a school facility should reduce lead in drinking water, including information on the health effects of lead in drinking water, how lead gets into the facility, the benefits and challenges of testing, two case studies, and the proper sampling procedures for testing for lead in drinking water.

Provides detail on 65 potential funding resources to help school and child care facilities implement drinking water quality programs. The guide includes information on the funding priorities, grant-making history, available funding, eligibility criteria, and geographic focus of each donor. 79p.

Provides information about sources of lead in drinking water and its health effects, particularly in young children and infants. Simple instructions for testing water and recommended solutions for fixing a lead problem are included, as are suggestions on how to share information on lead testing and results with parents and staff. A list of state drinking water programs and additional resources are included. 28p.

Provides EPA manuals and supplemental materials to assist schools and child care facilities in their efforts to develop programs and policies to reduce lead leveles in drinking water.

Provides training for school officials to raise awareness of the potential occurrences, causes, and health effects of lead in drinking water; to assist school officials in identifying potential areas where elevated lead may occur; and to establish a testing plan to identify and prioritize testing sites. Instruction for testing drinking water in schools to identify potential problems and take corrective actions is included, as is advice on how to keep students, parents, staff, and the larger community aware of lead monitoring programs, potential risks, the results of testing, and remediation actions. The manual is specifically targeted at schools that receive water from water utilities or water suppliers such as cities, towns and water districts. Appendices include a glossary, 18 references and referrals, and a list of state drinking water programs. 99p.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with several federal agencies, state drinking water programs, and drinking water associations that represent water utilities to promote voluntary efforts to reduce children’s lead exposure in schools and child care facilities. The MOU is a partnership between EPA, Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Water Works Association, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the National Association of Water Companies, the National Rural Water Association, and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators to focus attention on testing for lead in drinking water for schools and child care facilities. The signatories have agreed to encourage schools and child care facilities to take steps such as testing drinking water for lead; disseminating results to parents, students, staff and other interested stakeholders; and taking appropriate and necessary actions to correct problems. The signatories also agree to encourage drinking water utilities to assist schools and child care facilities in their efforts to understand and reduce lead exposure from drinking water. 14p.

Assists school systems in identifying and remedying indoor environment health and safety problems. Chapter 1 contains a checklist for schools to use to identify important environmental health and safety issues that may be present in a school building. By maintaining the checklist for each issue, school personnel will be able to determine if there are any specific areas that may warrant attention. Chapter 2 contains references that provide specific regulations for each issue and any industry standards/guidelines that are available. This section also provides a quick resource guide for additional assistance. Chapter 3 provides a list of resources for further guidance. 24p.

In a Q&A format, this answers such questions as: How do I determine whether my child's school has a problem with lead paint?; Why should we be concerned only about peeling and chipped paint?; and What is considered to be an unacceptable level of lead in paint? This includes sources for further information.

This answers the following questions: What is childhood lead poisoning?; What causes childhood lead poisoning?; Is there a problem with lead in NYC drinking water?; What is the drinking water standard for lead?;Is drinking water in NYC schools tested for lead?; Are there any health risks from elevated lead levels in school drinking water?; What actions are taken if lead levels in drinking water faucets or fountains are elevated?; What can I do to help prevent childhood lead poisoning?

This helpful brochure discusses the following issues: preventing contamination near drinking water sources; lead in drinking water; cross-contamination; water conservation; securing your drinking water against vandalism and other harm; and teaching students about drinking water. Includes contacts for further assistance and informational resources. 18p.

This fact sheet describes the hazards of lead, what's being done to control lead in plumbing systems, sources of lead in a building, and actions to take to reduce lead in drinking water. 3p.

Descriptions of how, when, and where to sample schools and day care centers for lead in drinking water. Includes instructions for developing a sampling plan, basic sampling protocol, how to interpret the data and address problems when detected.

Children are at greater risk than adults for lead poisoning because children absorb lead more readily than adults, and a small amount of lead in children's bodies can do a great deal of harm. Some of the causes and effects of childhood lead poisoning and suggests some lead poisoning prevention strategies that parent educators can share with parents are summarized in this document. How blood lead levels are measured is also explained, the occurrence of elevated blood lead levels among children, physical symptoms and effects, and broader social effects of the damage caused by lead poisoning is then examined. The digest then looks at ways parents can prevent lead poisoning, advising how to attend to specific lead risks in the home, at work, within children's diets and consumer products, and the medical establishment. Finally, the parents' role in the prevention of lead poisoning is highlighted, concluding the digest. 4p.

Many children spend a significant part of their days at school or in a child care facility. This fact sheet describes how lead can get into the water in educational facilities and why water should be tested, and describes how one can participate in a lead-free drinking water program. 2p.

This factsheet is for anyone responsible for modernization projects in California's public schools where materials containing lead may be disturbed or where lead abatement is planned. It explains the state requirements for properly dealing with lead hazards so that children and workers are protected. Its sections address why to be concerned about lead in schools, what lead regulations apply to school districts, non-compliance, proper procedures, and resources. 12p.

Examines the lead issue in school buildings, noting that even minimal exposures to lead can create diagnosable health problems in children. Includes comments about current regulations and laws pertaining to the areas of soil, water, air, debris disposal, surfaces, and level of lead in the blood. Lists responses to lead that schools should take and those that they should avoid. Includes a list of safeguards for schools undergoing renovation or remodeling programs to reduce or remove lead, a suggested school board policy statement for lead poisoning prevention, and a lead metal information sheet. 17p.

This kit contains four trainers tools for educating California school maintenance and operations personnel on providing lead-safe schools. Contents include the "Lead-Safe Schools Curriculum" that has complete lesson plans and masters for overheads and handouts. Separate sets of overheads and handouts are also provided for easy copying. Also included are the "Lead-Safe Schools Guide" that provides in-depth background information on lead hazards and state policies on managing lead in schools. The "Working in a Lead-Safe School" booklet is of for use by class participants and is designed to accompany the curriculum. Finally, the kit provides a video, "Lead The Invisible Threat", that is shown during the class and focuses on lead exposure and lead-safe work practices.

This manual was designed to assist Minnesota's schools in minimizing the consumption of lead in drinking water by students and staff. It offers step-by-step instructions for testing and reducing lead in drinking water. It includes a discussion of legal background and requirements, testing for lead in school drinking water, flushing taps, testing taps, flushing and retesting, other corrective actions, and reassessment. Contains a glossary, a list of Minnesota laboratories certified to analyze lead in drinking water, a lead testing record form, and a list of other resources. 16p.

This booklet is intended for school custodians and maintenance staff who may work around lead while doing their day-to-day tasks. The discussion includes facts about where lead is found, exposure risks and ways that exposure can take place, effects on the body, and ways to help eliminate lead from school property. The booklet discusses Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements for protecting workers who are involved in lead work, how much lead exposure is too much, and ways to safely work around lead. 28p.

This guide provides California school districts with information for creating safer lead-free school environments through better custodial and maintenance policies and practices. The guide examines the health effects of lead, elements of a lead program, strategies to identify lead in schools, maintenance task analysis, worker protection guidelines, safe work practices, worker training strategies, and program documentation and evaluation. Examples of program forms are also provided. Appendices contain summary reports from the California Department of Health Services, Lead in Construction Standards, Hazard Communication Standard, and Injury and Illness Prevention Program. Also included is information on the Lead-Safe Schools Protection Act and Title 17 of California's regulations for working around lead hazards, contractor requirements, volunteer guidelines, a resource list, and glossary. 172p.

This guide presents lesson plans, overheads, and handouts that can be used to present a five-hour course on lead hazards in school maintenance work. The course is designed to give school employees the necessary information and skills they need to protect themselves and school children from exposure. The course requires no health or safety expertise to teach. Each topic is taught using participatory learning activities. Lessons cover reasons why there should be concern over the presence of lead in schools, where lead is found in schools, effects of lead exposure, ways that lead exposure typically takes place, respiratory protection, lead-safe work practices, and a summary lesson. 81p.

In response to California's 1992 Lead-Safe Schools Protection Act, the state's Department of Health Services conducted a study of the extent of lead contamination in paint, soil, and water in California schools. Data were collected in the field between 1995 and 1997. This report presents the study findings to the state legislature and makes recommendations for ensuring that all California schools are lead-safe schools. Findings and recommendations are as follows. (1) As is the case with housing in California and across the nation, lead-containing paint is present in most California public elementary schools and child care facilities. With proper training, resources, and support, it can be managed safely as part of standard maintenance and operations practices. (2) If lead-safe work practices are instituted and continued over time, they are safer, more efficient, and more cost effective than wholesale removal of lead-containing paint. (3) The lead content of bare soil may be elevated if the soil is close to painted exterior walls. Simple steps can eliminate potential exposure hazards. (4) Lead may be present in drinking water in about 18 percent of schools and child care facilities. A testing, remediation, and replacement program will identify and eliminate this potential source of exposure. The report concludes with the Department of Health Services' action plan and several recommendations. 56p.

This memo explains changes in state and federal drinking water regulations for lead and copper, summarizes the data that has been collected by the state's Department of Environmental Protection in its lead in school study, provides guidance on actions that should be taken by Massachusetts school officials to reduce student exposure to lead through drinking water.

This manual demonstrates how drinking water in schools and non-residential buildings can be tested for lead and how contamination problems can be corrected if found. It also provides background information concerning the sources and health effects of lead, how lead gets into drinking water, how lead in drinking water is regulated, and how to communicate lead issues with a facility's users. This manual is intended for use by officials responsible for the maintenance and/or safety of these facilities. Appendices contain a directory of Environmental Protection Agency and State drinking water programs, a terms glossary, a water cooler summary, a list of lead resources, a sample record keeping form, and containers for preserving samples.

This two-part report deals with the Lead Exposure Reduction Act of 1992(H.R. 5730), an amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The amendment is intended to lead to the reduction of levels of lead in the environment and to lower the degree of childhood exposure to lead. The bill provides for a program of inspection for lead-based paint at covered schools and for lead hazards at covered day care facilities; inspections in cases of lead in drinking water at covered schools and facilities; a program for training and licensing of lead-based paint abatement contractors and their workers; and repair or recall of drinking water coolers. 156 p.

This is a computer-aided instructional program intended to allow school administrators to determine the presence of lead in school water systems. Remedial actions are outlined.

Discusses the continuing hazard of lead poisoning, in spite of significant headway that has been made over the past 50 years. The effect of lead on humans, lead in paint and soils, and climatic factors are addressed. At particular risk are poor people who inhabit the polluted centers of our older cities. "Capping" lead-contaminated soil with lead-free soil or soil amendment appears to be a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the lead load for urban youth. Includes 26 references.

Elaborates on a recent discovery of lead in artificial playing turf fibers. The evolution of the discovery and warnings that were issued, the responses from the artificial turf industry, the ingestibility of lead-contaminated dust from the fields, controversies concerning the sampling and actual risk, and other issues surrounding lead content in products to which children might be exposed are covered.

Advises on handling asbestos, lead, mold, and radon risks in new and existing schools, as well as during renovations.

Advises on identification, analysis, abatement, and remediation of asbestos, lead-based paint, and mold.

Reviews the threat of asbestos, lead, and mercury in schools. Sources of these toxins and options for their removal or containment are covered.

Water drawn from drinking fountains throughout Seattle's public schools is contaminated with lead that exceeds the maximum level recommended by the federal government -- and in many cases, the toxic concentrations rise far above that threshold, according to districtwide tests.

Describes problems with lead-tainted drinking water in schools across the country, particularly in cities with many older school buildings. Highlights the sometimes contentious process toward remediation and some steps taken to protect students. [Free subscriber registration is required.]

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that blood lead levels officially considered safe are now believed to hurt a person's intellectual development. This has implications for school administrators who are tackling numerous instances of lead found in water used in drinking fountains and cafeteria cooking because of lead pipes, in soil surrounding playgrounds, and in dust from chipped lead paint, which was banned in 1978. [Free subscriber registration is required.]

Describes the effects of lead poisoning. Because the source of lead poisoning in most children is old house paint, and is found mostly in substandard housing, lower-income children are disproportionally affected. Suggestions to teachers are included.

Details how a lead safety project funded in the Toyota Tapestry Grant program provided students with the resources to test for and discover lead present in their recently renovated school. Discusses how the lead safety project played out across grade levels within the school.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 1 million children ages 5 and under are afflicted with unsafe amounts of lead. Schools can be a source of lead poisoning. Other sources include playgrounds near freeways, playground equipment, contaminated soil, and technology rooms with lead-bearing supplies. Sidebars list what schools should do about lead and provide selected references.

This study was conducted to accurately assess children's exposure to lead in schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The authors conclude that current cleaning methods are effective at preventing lead-contaminated dust exposure within classrooms. Prior studies, which the researchers say assessed only the presence of lead-contaminated dust, assumed that children were necessarily exposed simply because lead was present in the rooms.

Data from a 1994 University of Maryland study suggest that typical janitorial tasks (sweeping, vacuuming, emptying trash receptacles, cleaning fixtures, and other related housekeeping activities) would not result in an airborne lead exposure that exceeded Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Lead abatement work should incur potentially greater exposure risks.

Examines plumbing standards and laws regarding lead content in school bathroom faucets and how to address these concerns. Issues to consider when building new school facilities are highlighted.

This paper summarizes the findings of a study that examined the effectiveness of risk communication materials, information dissemination and assistance efforts and selected regulatory design strategies for three different risk management programs for public schools that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated in response to Congressional mandates.

The Seattle School District began a program in 1990 to identify lead levels in the district's drinking water and to implement measures to lower any high lead levels. Recounts each of the seven steps of the program, discusses what the district found, and explains how it lowered lead levels in the drinking water.

AWWA is an international nonprofit scientific and educational society dedicated to the improvement of drinking water quality and supply. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the drinking water community. Sections of the website include advocacy, communications, conferences, education and training, and science and technology.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {CDC} develops programs and policies to prevent childhood lead poisoning, educates the public and health care providers, provides funding to state and local health departments, and supports research to determine the effectiveness of prevention efforts at the federal, state, and local levels.

EIA is a non-profit organization providing information concerning environmental health hazards to occupants of buildings, industrial sites, and other facility operations, including the abatement of asbestos and lead based paint, indoor air quality, safety and health issues, analytical issues, and environmental site assessments.

These web pages are intended to serve as a gateway to on-line resources to help facility managers, school administrators, architects, design engineers, school nurses, parents, teachers and staff address environmental health issues in schools. Topics covered include chemical use and management; design, construction, and renovation; energy efficiency; facility operations and maintenance; indoor environmental quality; legislation and regulation; outdoor air pollution; portable classrooms; safety/preparedness; waste; and waste reduction.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presents the second version of its free software tool that helps school districts evaluate and manage their school facilities for key environmental, safety, and health issues. HealthySEAT is designed to be customized and used by district-level staff to conduct voluntary self-assessments of their school facilities and to track and manage information on environmental conditions school by school. EPA has also included critical elements of all of its regulatory and voluntary programs for schools, as well as web links to more detailed information. Enhancements for Version 2 include user-defined custom checklists, custom notification letters, additional and updated reports and forms, new navigation improvements, e-mail functionality, changes in terminology, and additional documentation.

Web page of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with guidance to schools and day care facilities to test the water for lead, particularly if food, drinks, and/or formula are prepared on-site.

Beginning in April 2010, federal law will require that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. This is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website for requirements for renovation, repair, and painting in situations where lead-based paint is present.

Offers guidance on renovations of buildings with pre-1978 paint, which may contain lead. Through inexpensive materials and lead-safe renovation techniques, historic buildings can be made lead safe while preserving their architectural features. New federal requirements for contractor requirements concerning lead-based paint abatement are also addressed.

Set up by the Labor Occupational Health Program the Lead-Safe Schools program offers publications, provides training to school maintenance staff, and a telephone hotline to California school districts and staff.

WEF is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization for preserving and enhancing the global water environment. The website's section on water quality news and resources includes hot topics, news items, legislative actions and regulatory issues, press releases, periodicals and newsletters, and related links.

Information on the identification, treatment, storage, and removal of hazardous materials found in school buildings and grounds, compiled by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities.

Information on healthy and environmentally safe school facilities, compiled by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities. See also NCEF Resource Lists on Indoor Air Quality, Hazardous Materials, Green Cleaning, Pesticides and IPM, Mold in Schools, and more.

Information on custodial standards and procedures, equipment, safety, and product directories for the cleaning and maintenance of schools and colleges.