Newark lead testing results released for some schools

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Initial lead testing results have been released for some school buildings in Newark, and they reveal elevated levels of lead.

According to the school district, testing included buildings leased to charter schools, as well as a transportation hub, student center, and athletic facilities.

Results of the testing, which began on March 19th, show that 324 samples were taken from these eight non-traditional facilities, with 16 (4.9%) of the samples from drinking water sources showing elevated readings above the 15ppb threshold set by the DEP.

Inspectors found elevated levels at 30 public schools earlier this month.

The results are the first phase of additional testing to come back from the lab following the discovery.

The eight sites were deemed Priority 1.

The city says its new strategy for testing will test for lead at every available water source in every building, whereas previous tests took a sample of approximately 10 locations across each building.