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“AUGUSTA — Lawmakers are once again considering requiring schools to test drinking water for lead following the discovery of elevated levels of the harmful metal in some schools connected to public water systems.

Under current law, the roughly 300 schools that draw their water from wells must test for lead at least once every three years. But about 500 schools on public water face no similar requirement because water suppliers are already required to conduct extensive testing even though lead often leaches into water from the plumbing in older buildings.

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Sarah Woodbury, state advocacy director for the Environmental Health Strategy Center, said ‘exposure to lead remains a serious yet entirely preventable source of harm to children’s brains.’

‘It is also essential to note that all of the experts – including the United States CDC and the U.S. EPA – have stated that there is no safe level of exposure to lead,’ Woodbury said. ‘Any and all lead is harmful and should be avoided.'”

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