NEST+m School Found to Have Elevated Lead Levels

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — Elevated lead levels were found in several water samples at a school for gifted students in the Lower East Side, according to the city's education department.

The NEST+m school sent home a letter to parents this week informing them that tests found elevated lead levels at seven of the school's 144 water sources. The New York Daily News first reported the findings on Thursday evening. The school said in the letter that that the seven water sources would be replaced, according to the Daily News.

"Each of the affected fixtures will remain out of service until remediation work is completed," the letter said.

NEST+m, which stands for New Explorations into Science, Technology, and Math, is a K-12 public school that draws students from all five boroughs. The tests were conducted in January, according to the city's Department of Education website.

Now that the problem water sources have been identified in the school, the city will turn off all sources, "flush all or part of the system to eliminate water sitting in pipes overnight, replaces equipment and re-tests after the equipment is replaced," according to a letter from the department which outlines the protocol for when unsafe drinking water is identified.

The city's Department of Education did not immediately respond to a message from Patch seeking additional information on the water safety protocol. An employee of NEST+m declined to comment, saying they were prohibited from speaking with reporters.

To search the water test results for your child's school, visit the the Department of Educations's water safety page and search by school name.

Image via Dschwen on Wikimedia Commons.