Lead exposure can lead to neurological and developmental problems for children
Tap water from a sink in a city-run health clinic contained over eight times the federal limit for lead, according to an email announcement from city health officials.
Water from the sink, which was in the dental exam room of the Bobbie Sterne Health Center, contained a lead level of 123 parts per billion, according to a report from Greater Cincinnati Water Works, the water utility owned by the city. The report recommended immediately replacing the faucet fixture and re-testing the water afterwards.
The dental sink is one of eight at the clinic that contained lead levels higher than the federal limit enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which says that lead in tap water should be less than 15 parts per billion.
The dental sink’s water had the highest level of lead, but three sinks from pediatric examination rooms had lead levels that ranged from 17 to 20 parts per billion. Low levels of lead are linked to harmful and permanent effects on a child’s brain development, according to the World Health Organization.
One sink in an adult examination room contained twice the federal limit, at 30 parts per billion.
The report from Greater Cincinnati Water Works said that lead poisoning – a condition that can cause convulsions and death – does not happen through washing one’s hands with water containing lead.
Still, Dr. Grant Mussman, the health commissioner of Cincinnati, stated that the health officials are in the process of fixing or replacing the hardware of the eight sinks and re-testing the water afterwards.
“Those stations have signage indicating that they are not to be used until they are fixed or replaced,” he said.
This story will be updated.