Lead in the water: Tacoma, Washington

[gopiscrap]

The city of Tacoma announced last Friday that there are hundreds of places (homes, institutions and businesses) that may or do have lead in their water. In addition, the Tacoma Public School District has admitted in dribbles and spurts that there are at least 6 elementary school's affected. Some with 150 times the amount that is considered safe. My wife has taught at a school for 16 years where they have told the staff that they will not use the kitchen water to cook, nor are they to use their individual classroom sinks and they are shipping bottled water while not directly admitting there is lead in the water at this site. To make matters worse the District sat on this information about the testing they did last year and perhaps testing all the way back to 2013. Surprise, surprise: it is happening almost exclusively in the poor areas of town. I am afraid Tacoma (200,000 population) might be sitting on a Flint like crises.

[uppityperson]

1. Here's a link, thanks for posting this

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/high-levels-of-lead-found-in-water-at-2-tacoma-schools/

[gopiscrap]

2. it's more than two schools now

plus there are some schools they strongly suspect but haven't announced...like the school my wife works at

[uppityperson]

3. Do you have other links? I'd like to read more, thanks.

Not in Tacoma but know people there, and also just because. Thank you

[gopiscrap]

5. Hi I suck at using computors

so don't so don't know how to do the links, but if you go to the Tacoma News Tribune, they have stories about it

[uppityperson]

8. Thanks, I'll check them out.

[gopiscrap]

13. you're welcome

[maxsolomon]

4. due to old pipes - not government incompetence

the poorer areas are the older areas.

you make it sound deliberate.

[gopiscrap]

6. no, the Tacoma School District sitting on the news of the results last

year is deliberate to me. Also the fact that almost all of the lead findings are in the poorest areas of twon seem suspicious to me. Specially since the wealthy North End is older than the places they found lead at

[maxsolomon]

9. sitting on the results (tacoma) for a year

versus changing the water source from pure to contaminated (flint). there's degrees of difference.

it's "suspicious"? are you saying they installed contaminated pipes in the poor sections of town?

or that officials knew about it and did nothing because they are racists?

[gopiscrap]

10. Saying that the officials did nothing because

the people in those areas are too busy trying to survive day to day to bitch and cause trouble with the city

[gopiscrap]

12. actually in Tacoma the older area

is the wealthiest

[mrs_p]

7. The same thing happened to us

In Ithaca (BTW, I'm a T-town native). Two schools, both rural, but children of mostly well educated and very involved parents. It seems like it can happen anywhere.

ETA: my kiddo goes to one of the schools in a classroom with high levels of lead. We got her tested and she had no elevated blood levels.

[gopiscrap]

11. good to hear

glad for your daughter

[Generic Other]

14. I sent in test samples

Awaiting the results. I think there is cause to fear possible lead contamination of water anywhere with pre-1950s pipes. Good reason to drink bottled water.