Lawmakers in Maine are pushing to improve the standard of lead testing in the water provided to schools. On June 7th, the Maine House of Representatives approved a bill which would decrease the acceptable amount of lead in school’s drinking water in the state. Maine currently allows there to be 15 parts per billion, and this bill would reduce the standard to 4 parts per billion. Lead has been linked to many serious health conditions, and according to a report from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, over 400 children in the state were affected by lead poisoning in 2017. As a major environmental health threat, the approval of this bill would make a significant improvement to children’s health and safety.
