Chicago Tribune
By Emily Hoerner
Most Illinois public schools that tested samples from sinks and fountains for lead as required by a 2017 state law found traces of the toxic metal lurking in childrenâs drinking water, a Tribune investigation has found.
But although the testing identified thousands of potentially problematic fixtures in schools, flaws in the law and weak state oversight have interfered with the goal of protecting children from the brain-damaging metal, the Tribune found.
Lead is particularly destructive to young children but also poses risks for adults, especially pregnant people. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, no amount of lead is safe to be in the human body…
