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August marked the start of a new academic year as California’s K-12 students headed back to freshly decorated classrooms.
While some parents may welcome the fact that summer vacation has ended, not all parents can be certain their children are safe in our public and private schools. According to recent reports, many low-income families and their children may be exposed to dangerously unsafe water in public schools. This month, reports of high levels of lead in the historically Black neighborhoods of South-Central Los Angeles came to light by a local environmental group. No amount of classroom décor can mask the reality of poor water quality in children’s homes and schools.
That’s why it’s important for state and local lawmakers to address the underlying infrastructural gaps perpetuating the problem – like old water pipes, dams, and spillways – instead of pursuing ineffective solutions that often impose significant unintended consequences for low-income families, leaving them in the same situation they’ve faced for decades.
We believe that everyone has the right to clean water, clean air, and life in a clean, safe environment, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or income.
Environmental Justice is a key part of the California Black Health Network’s Health Equity Framework, and it is why we work to address the root causes of health inequities, sometimes referred to as Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). Research shows that SDoH contribute to 80% of health outcomes. So, improving access to a community’s basic needs, like clean water, can have a significant impact – not only on just health outcomes, but life expectancy as well.
Water quality and safety are nothing new in the Golden State. A decade after California declared access to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water a human right, roughly one million California residents are still forced to rely on poor-quality water served by sub-standard water infrastructure systems. The state’s struggle is underscored by the fact that nearly 400 water systems are at risk of failing new, stringent testing requirements.
A 2020 CALPIRG Education Fund survey found that 53% of reporting school districts tested positive for lead in over 2,100 water fountains at 1,300 schools throughout the state. One school reported lead at 1,100 parts per billion (ppb) in one water fountain while another reported 2,000 ppb in a single classroom’s water fountain. These numbers far exceed the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of no more than 1 ppb of lead in water.
The problem goes beyond schools, putting even our youngest, and most vulnerable at risk. The lead present in the drinking water at nearly 1,700 licensed child care facilities across California also exceeds the amount allowable for infants and preschool-age children. A sample from one facility tested last year was found to contain a lead level of 290 ppb — 58 times the state limit.
Exposure to lead is dangerous and can impact kids’ ability to learn and grow. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), low levels of lead exposure in children “have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells.” This is an unacceptable risk for our children while they’re at school and at home, but it’s an everyday reality for millions of low-income Californians across the state.
To effectively tackle water quality issues, increased funding for water infrastructure projects and less restrictive regulations on bottled water are essential. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a $130 million annual fund until 2030 underscores the state’s minimal commitment to improving water systems. However, this investment must be coupled with supportive regulatory frameworks that facilitate, rather than obstruct, access to alternative water sources like bottled water.
This balanced approach must also consider currently available tools for families to mitigate their risk. Ordinances prohibiting the sale of bottled water products, as proposed by multiple municipalities across California and implemented by others in the state, only reduce available supplies of safe drinking water for families at home or children at school. For low-income communities with compromised water quality, bottled water can provide a short-term alternative that is a necessity, not a luxury.
It should not go unnoticed that August also marked Water Quality Month, which highlights the importance of clean water to our “individual health, our collective agricultural needs, and the needs of our environment.” The irony of children returning to schools with water contaminated by lead during a month recognizing the importance of clean water should not be lost on all any California lawmaker — nor should the irony of banning the very product that offers them a safe drinking option.
In communities and schools across the state, parents and teachers are raising and educating the next generation of Californians. They deserve no less than access to basic needs such as a clean drinking water supply — and it’s up to policymakers to ensure that this happens.
About the Author
Rhonda Smith, Executive Director of the California Black Health Network (CBHN).
