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Oakland Unified School District

Community & Family Resources

Lead and Health

Anyone with concerns about lead is encouraged to have their student tested.

If you have insurance, please see your doctor. If you do not have insurance, please contact your school for information about the nearest clinic where your student can get tested. For a list of School-Based Health Centers, you can also click here.

About Lead Levels

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets an action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) for lead in drinking water.

According to State Water Resources Control Board recommendations, if the lead level in a first-draw drinking water sample collected on a drinking water outlet at the school campus after stagnations is:

  • Higher than 15 ppb: The corresponding drinking water outlet should be re-tested to confirm the initial result. Upon confirmation of the initial result, the drinking water outlet should be either addressed to mitigate the lead problem or permanently removed from service. Any corrective actions implemented by the school for that drinking water outlet should be re-tested to confirm the lead level in water is not higher than the action level.
  • Not higher than 15 ppb There is a strong indication of insignificant exposure to lead at that particular sample location and the corresponding drinking water outlet can be returned to use with no further water testing.

UPDATE:

On Feb 28, 2018 the Board of Education adopted Board Policy 3511.3 Clean Drinking Water. This policy requires the district to replace or remediate sources of consumable water that contain lead levels higher than 5 ppb. Previously, the district had been adhering to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended action level of 15 ppb.