Lead in school drinking water could be worse than we know

The drinking water at a N. Philly elementary school recently tested extremely high for levels of toxic lead. It's probably not the only one.

Listen 14:52
A photo taken by a former teacher at Frederick Douglass Mastery Charter School shows a boy holding a cup of water the teacher said was drawn from a drinking fountain at the school in June of 2016. (Provided)

A photo taken by a former teacher at Frederick Douglass Mastery Charter School shows a boy holding a cup of water the teacher said was drawn from a drinking fountain at the school in June of 2016. (Provided)

Listen to The Why wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | TuneIn


A recent test showed extremely high levels of lead at Frederick Douglass Elementary School in North Philadelphia, but officials didn’t tell parents until reporters with WHYY’s Keystone Crossroads and PlanPhilly started asking. It turns out the school probably isn’t alone, but Avi Wolfman-Arent and Ryan Briggs explain why it’s hard to say just how many other older school buildings in the region could have similar serious problems with their water.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal