Hygiena 2015, 60(2):40-47 | DOI: 10.21101/hygiena.a1326

The Health Risk of Lead in Drinking Water in School Facilities of the Pardubice Region

Bohumil Havel, Dagmar Švadlenková, Lenka Labudová, Jakub Havel, Otto Horníček
Krajská hygienická stanice Pardubického kraje se sídlem v Pardubicích, Pardubice

Lead is a cumulative toxicant that is particularly harmful to young children. Even at lower levels of exposure that were previously considered safe, lead damages brain and nervous system development resulting in behavioural changes and decreased intelligence of children. The main source of lead exposure is food. An important contributor to lead exposure may be the tap water in old buildings, having the original lead plumbing. The aim of the present study was to obtain basic information about lead exposure from drinking water in selected educational facilities placed in old buildings in the Pardubice Region as well as the possible health risks for the children. Between 2013 and 2014, in collaboration with the Public Health Institute, samples of drinking water in 20 educational facilities were examined. The samples were taken both in the morning after overnight water stagnation in the pipes and randomly during the day. In most facilities the lead content was increased as compared to water regularly supplied in the mains. In almost half of the monitored facilities increased lead content was detected even in the samples taken during the day. In three facilities the lead content exceeded the current lead content limit 10 μg/l. To characterize the risk of developmental neurotoxicity in children, the methodology "margin of exposure" (MOE), recommended by EFSA, was used. The result is, that even a lower lead content in drinking water of school facilities than the regulatory limit value may pose a small but not entirely negligible risk of neurodevelopmental effects. Care for the healthy environment at preschool and school facilities should therefore also include the elimination of this potential risk.

Keywords: lead, drinking water, school and health, health risk assessment (HRA)

Received: August 2014; Accepted: January 30, 2015; Published: June 1, 2015  Show citation

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Havel B, Švadlenková D, Labudová L, Havel J, Horníček O. The Health Risk of Lead in Drinking Water in School Facilities of the Pardubice Region. Hygiena. 2015;60(2):40-47. doi: 10.21101/hygiena.a1326.
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