Water Treatment For Your Child's School

When you are operating a school or children's day care facility, it is important that the kids have access to clean water. This is extra important because children spend most of their day at these sorts of places, and water that has gone through a water treatment facility will help keep them healthy. Water should be the preferred beverage for children, because it does not contain any sugar, calories, or caffeine. It will help their little bodies function as they should.

It is important to test and treat the water in these facilities. Minerals, such as lead, can actually be harmful, hindering the function and development of their brains and bodies. Many public schools and child care facilities are protected by the Safe Drinking Water Act, but there are others that may not even test the water to make sure that it is safe to drink.

How does lead get into the drinking water? Water does not contain lead when it is found in the natural environment. It does not pick up lead in a well or water treatment plant. However, older buildings have piping, faucets, and other plumbing parts made from lead or containing some lead. When the water comes into contact with this plumbing, corrosion occurs. You may be receiving clean water from a local water treatment plant, but it can pick up lead as it passes through the plumbing system. This is why it is very important to periodically test the quality of the water.

Lead can be collected in the bones as long as you live, and it can cause serious health risks over time. It can also collect in the brain, muscles, bloodstream, and other body systems for several months. Since children are smaller than adults, it is easier for them to accumulate a higher concentration of it in their system. Often children under the age of 6 are at the highest risk for lead poisoning, because they have more contact with the floor and other parts of the building that may be contaminated. A doctor can test a child for lead exposure.

Researchers have not determined that there is any safe level of lead in a child's blood. Therefore, it is important to have the water treated at your child's school or day care center. You want to be able to guarantee the safety of the water. Check with your city to see if there is something that you can do to reduce or eliminate the presence of lead in your water supply.