Portland schools shut off water fountains after lead found

PORTLAND, Ore.(AP)- Portland Public Schools has shut down its drinking fountains and will use bottled water after tests at two schools found unsafe levels of lead in water from sinks and fountains.

The district said late Friday that it is also working to provide on-site blood lead level screening for students at Creston and Rose City Park next month.

Superintendent Carole Smith on Friday also apologized for letting students and teachers at two schools keep drinking tainted water after tests showed unsafe levels of lead.

The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports that when tests came back positive for lead in the spring, officials took steps to repair or replace plumbing but didn’t warn people not to drink the water. Lead is a known neurotoxin that is particularly harmful to young children.

Earlier in the week, the district notified parents that tests conducted in March found elevated lead levels at drinking water sources at Creston K-8 and Rose City Park.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive,http://www.oregonlive.com