exec and Arthur T Knackerbracket have found the following story:
Students returning to school in Detroit next week will find their water fountains entirely shut off over concerns of elevated lead and copper levels—something that federal lawmakers say is part of a "disturbing and unacceptable" nationwide issue.
The decision to shut off the drinking water in Detroit was based on a first round of results from testing that the school district carried out in its 106 schools earlier this year. The results from just 24 schools so far surfaced 16 that had water sources tainted with excessive levels of lead, copper, or both. For instance, tests at the district's Academy of the Americas Elementary school found a kitchen and drinking faucet in a basement cafeteria that had lead levels of 182 micrograms per liter (ug/L) and 154 ug/L, respectively. Those are more than ten times the Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limit of 15 ug/L. The full testing results can be found here.
[...] In a joint statement, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) were quick to point out that the contamination is not due to a problem with the region's water system. Rather, the pair blamed aging plumbing within the schools for the contamination.
"The water at GLWA's treatment plants is tested hourly and DWSD has no lead service lines connected to any DPSCD building. The drinking water is of unquestionable quality," the statement read.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday September 03 2018, @08:17AM (3 children)
Here and there about the Pasadena Campus of the California Institute Technology [caltech.edu] are water foundations above and behind which are ceramic mosaics.
They're all disabled because the glaze for all the yellow tiles is made of Uranium. And yes, I Am Absolutely Serious.
I don't know whether they're still on display but when I was a kid, a museum in Spokane Washington displayed transparent yellow dishware whose yellow dye is also made of Uranium.
FWIW Many Portland Oregon's schools tested positive for lead a few years ago.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 03 2018, @09:55AM (2 children)
Uranium? Never heard of that, do you mean Thorium Oxide [wikipedia.org] as used in early photographic lens coatings?
(Score: 3, Informative) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday September 03 2018, @10:05AM (1 child)
Uranium Hexafluoride gas is yellow too. I expect the sixth oxidation state of Uranium is yellow whatever else may be in the molecule.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 03 2018, @11:09AM
Uranium Oxide used in the glaze. [digitalfire.com]
Problematic radiation source or overzealous university health and safety? We're never going to get the fucking X-Men at this rate.