Survey of New Jersey schools and day care centers for lead in plumbing solder. Identification of lead solder and prevention of exposure to drinking water contaminated with lead from plumbing solder.

Levels of lead in drinking water can be high enough to pose a potential health threat to very young children, primarily from the use of lead solder for indoor plumbing. In February 1987, New Jersey banned lead solder for use in the installation or repair of drinking water plumbing systems. However, because lead solder continued to be available for purchase in the state, New Jersey Department of Health staff sought to (i) determine the extent to which schools and day care centers were in compliance with the ban, and (ii) determine the effectiveness of a solder analysis test kit commonly used by plumbing inspectors in the field. Samples of solder were collected from 53 day care centers and 37 schools known to have been constructed or renovated after the ban took effect. Samples from 24% of those facilities constructed or renovated just after the lead ban (1987-1988) tested positive for lead content. However, for those facilities constructed or renovated in later years (1989-1992), there was a decline in the percentage of samples that tested positive for lead content. For this period of time, 13% of the samples tested positive for lead. In total, more than 10% of facilities with new plumbing installed between 1987 and 1992 had solder samples that tested positive for lead. A lead in solder test kit commonly used by inspectors proved to be an effective screening tool for the field. The New Jersey Department of Health recommends continued enforcement of the lead solder ban through inspection and encouragement of behaviors that minimize consumption of potentially lead-contaminated drinking water. In order to assess patterns of water use, staff at the day care centers were asked to complete a questionnaire. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents reported that they "always" use water from the cold tap when preparing drinks or food for the children. In addition, 57% reported that they always first flush the tap before using the water for drinking or food purposes. Posters and pamphlets developed by the department and containing recommendations for how to minimize consumption of lead-contaminated drinking water were also provided.