KINGSTON, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the University of Rhode Island (URI) have teamed up to test drinking water for lead at no cost to schools and licensed child care facilities.

As part of ongoing efforts to identify and eliminate sources of possible lead poisoning in children, RIDOH officials have encouraged licensed child care facilities to register to test their drinking water for lead. Testing is free and is a joint effort between RIDOH and the URI Cooperative Water Quality Improvement Program.

Child care facilities are required to test their drinking water upon initial licensure or when there are significant changes to the plumbing system, but historically such testing has been at the expense of the owner.

“Lead is poisonous and can impact a child’s ability to learn and succeed in school,” said RIDOH Health Director Jerome Larkin. “No Rhode Islander should have to worry about whether the water their child drinks at school or child care is safe. Together with our partners at URI, we have already tested drinking water in more than half of Rhode Island’s public schools to ensure that it can expose students and staff to leadership at the plumbing level. We are excited to be able to offer this same opportunity to licensed child care providers.”

Participating child care facilities will select up to 10 taps and drinking water fountains for testing, including bottle filling stations. URI collects samples and samples are tested at RIDOH laboratories.

RIDOH officials said they have limited federal funding that can help schools and child care facilities subsidize the cost of replacing qualifying faucets and fountains. State health officials said they also will provide child care facilities where any lead was found with recommendations on how to reduce lead levels.

Child care facilities that follow any of RIDOH’s recommended actions will be able to retest their drinking water free of charge to confirm lead levels have been reduced.

Lead is a poisonous metal. As plumbing fixtures age, lead can leach into water when metal wears out in pipes, lead-based solder, or brass fittings on faucets or fountains. There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Children with high levels of lead in their blood may experience lifelong health problems such as learning disabilities, loss of IQ and decreased concentration. The consequences are most serious for children under six years of age.

“The only way to know if there is lead in drinking water is to test for it,” said RI Department of Human Services Director Kimberly Merolla-Brito. “With this information, child care providers can take the necessary steps to reduce lead levels and protect the health of children and staff. Although child care centers already provide testing, this gives them the opportunity to do so for free. will encourage these institutions in the state to take advantage of this important opportunity.

Public School Test Results

Since 2023, RIDOH and URI have tested water in 148 public schools, providing drinking water to more than 60,000 students. State officials said 1,022 taps and drinking water fountains were inspected in schools.

Lead levels in drinking water are measured in parts per billion (ppb). Higher levels of lead (more than 10 parts per billion) are of greater concern. State health officials said nearly 80 percent of drinking water faucets and fountains tested found no lead.

High levels of lead in school drinking water were rare. Less than 4 percent of sampled drinking water faucets and fountains had lead levels above 10 parts per billion.

While only 20 percent of all faucets and drinking fountains tested were found to contain lead, nearly 70 percent of schools tested had lead found in at least one faucet or drinking fountain, RIDOH officials said.

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