Minnesota Department of Health releases new map of lead exposures in schools, child care centers
The Minnesota Department of Health announced Tuesday that they'll be releasing a new, interactive map that will show how much lead, if any, has been detected in drinking water at all public and charter schools and licensed child care centers.
Minnesota law has required public and charter schools to test for lead in their drinking water every five years and make the results available to the public since 2017, but a new law requiring licensed child care centers to test for lead has only been in effect since July 1, 2024.
The new map fulfills a new reporting requirement by state law, however officials want families to know that there still may be some gaps in reporting. For example, a school that was tested in 2022 would not be due to test and report findings again until 2027.
A press release from the health department does say that if up-to-date test data is not uploaded to the map, the most recent test result from a specific school or child care center will be available from the site upon request.
Early data shows that no lead was detected in 76% of drinking water fixtures (i.e., sinks, fountains, etc.) of 190 schools and child care centers tested and less than 5% of fixtures had a lead level of five parts per billion or more.
The department of health says that corrective action has been taken for fixtures that contain lead, and ensure they'll do follow-up testing to make sure the water is safe to drink.
For the map and more information about lead exposure, visit the Minnesota Department of Health's website.
