Toxins found at area schools

Three area schools made a list of Pennsylvania schools that have dealt with contaminated drinking water within the last decade.

The findings were part of an Associated Press investigation released Friday that found the drinking water at thousands of American schools contained unsafe levels of toxins including arsenic, lead and copper and nitrates.

About 1 in every 5 schools violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, an analysis of U.S. Department of Environmental Protection data showed. Officials at the three schools on the list said their water is tested on a regular basis.

The most recent local finding was at Chestnut Ridge High School, New Paris, Bedford County in August 2008 when coliform contamination showed up in water tests, according to an AP database. Coliform was also found in the Chestnut Ridge school's water in June 2006.

Coliform bacteria are common in the environment and are generally not harmful, the EPA said. The bacteria's presence in drinking water is usually a result of a water system problem and indicates that the water may be contaminated with germs that can cause disease.

The water may be contaminated with human or animal waste. Bacteria can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms, the EPA said.

Chestnut Ridge Superintendent Joseph K. Kimmel said the most recent incident was not a cause for alarm.

"We're fine," he said.

School drinking water is tested monthly through Mountain Research LLC, an environmental firm with labs in Altoona and DuBois, Kimmel said.

Notices are posted when bacteria is discovered in accordance with state law, Kimmel said.

The only other school with a coliform problem was Northern Cambria Catholic School in Nicktown. The bacteria was found in the water there in June 2003.

Secretary Pauline Horvath said the school provided bottled water to students who were almost done with classes when the bacteria was discovered. No kids became sick as a result, she said.

Water is treated with ultraviolet lights and filtered, and the test is conducted before it is filtered, she said.

A school employee trained to collect samples does so monthly, she said.

Nitrates were found in water at Jackson Miller Elementary School, Huntingdon, in April 1999 and July 2000.

Huntingdon Area School District Superintendent Jill Adams said no problems have occurred since at the school, which is located near farming land.

Runoff from fertilizer use is one of the major sources of nitrates in drinking water, the EPA said.

Shortness of breath and blueness of skin are some of the short-term effects of excessive nitrate exposure in infants younger than 6 months old, the EPA said. Long-term exposure may lead to increased urine output and hemorrhaging of the spleen.

The school's water is checked on a regular basis, Adams said.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Teresa Candori said Friday that her agency has not yet reviewed the data. Most of the 238 drinking water violations at Pennsylvania schools occurred in the eastern part of the state.

The top state for school drinking water violations was California with 612, followed by Ohio, Maine, Connecticut and Indiana, the AP analysis showed.

Mirror Staff Writer Amanda Clegg is at 949-7030.