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New study calls for better water quality at child care centers

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Flickr User Nan Palmero

A new report is calling for more to be done to improve drinking water quality at the nation’s child care centers.

The Environmental Defense Fund tested water samples from child day care facilities in four states, including Michigan. 

Researcher Lindsay McCormick says they found most samples contained very low levels of lead.   But she says many centers did have one or more sources which exposed children to lead levels above the federal action level.

“Children who are at child care facilities tend to be younger and more vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead, as their brain is still developing.”

The EDF is calling for replacing lead service lines in child care facilities and lowering the federal action level for lead from 15 parts per billion, to five.

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