Lead in school water website launched by NYC

Information on a New York City public school’s water quality, including about testing for lead poison possibilities, is now available online under a program announced Wednesday by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.

Parents, students and anyone else can visit a city Department of Education website, http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/schools/watersafety.htm, to research a particular school building.

According to the mayor’s office, water that serves municipal buildings is free of lead, exposure to which can damage nearly every system in the human body. De Blasio’s office said lead service lines to municipal buildings such as schools were removed between 2008 and 2010. The number of city children poisoned by lead has declined 80 percent since 2002, the city said.

The issue of contaminated water has come into sharp relief, with crises in Flint, Michigan, upstate Hoosick Falls and Newark.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.