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Top Stories: Lead Found In Drinking Fountains At Fort Worth Schools

Rodger Mallison
/
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A trailer is loaded with water fountains from several Fort Worth school districts that have been removed for safety reasons.

The top local stories this morning from KERA News:

The Fort Worth school district is replacing hundreds of drinking fountains after tests found unsafe levels of lead in the water.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the lead was found in a certain style of fountain that allows water to sit as its chilled, which allows lead to leach into and contaminate the water.

Fort Worth ISD began testing water at its 140 campuses in June. Out of more than 800 samples completed, elevated lead levels were found in 45 samples from 28 schools. The levels ranged from 15 parts per billion to as much as 88 parts per billion. The EPA puts acceptable lead levels at 15 parts per billion.

District officials say they don’t believe any children were in any danger during the school year and feel confident the lead issue came up this summer. The fountains will be replaced when school starts Aug. 22.

The district says parents should take their children to a doctor if they’re concerned. Blood tests can show if a person has elevated lead levels.

Photo credit: Rodger Mallison/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Other stories this morning:

  • Now that 14 locally-transmitted cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Florida, disease specialists say Texas and other parts of the country should get ready to deal with mosquito-borne cases. So far, 88 cases of Zika have been reported in Texas. No cases have been transmitted locally by mosquitoes. Dallas County confirmed its 22nd case of Zika yesterday.
  • Law school used to be the ticket to a good job. But around the country, it’s been harder for law school graduates to find jobs as lawyers. That’s not deterring the University of North Texas at Dallas. The law program there is trying to attract a different type of student.

A Texas Olympian will head to Rio this weekend to compete in the only mixed-gender event at the summer games. Clark Montgomery of Bryan, Texas will compete in three-day eventing, an equestrian sport. It’s considered the triathlon of equestrian sports, and it includes dressage, cross-country and show jumping.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM. 

Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.