Substantial Lead Contamination in Drinking Water at UNC-CH
Over the past month, it has come to light that water fixtures across the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are contaminated with lead. To date, over 35 fixtures (21 water fountains and 14 sinks) from eight buildings have been found to have detectable lead. These include Fordham Hall, Hamilton Hall, Manning Hall, Phillips Hall, South Building, Wilson Library, Carrington Hall, and Isaac M. Taylor Hall. According to a recent report from the Daily Tar Heel, “University lead testing was initially triggered when a project involving a UNC professor found detectable levels of lead in Wilson Library, according to a University spokesperson.” This implies the testing was not part of preventive or routine testing across the campus. Additionally, it is unclear how they will fix the contaminated water sources.
According to the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe amount of lead for humans to ingest in drinking water. The EPA states that lead concentrations found at or above 15 parts per billion must be fixed. As reported by NC Policy Watch Joe Killian, several fountains have tested between 34 to 662 parts per billion - nearly 44 times the amount triggering action. To meet OSHA standards, “the employer shall provide potable water for all employee health and personal needs and ensure that only potable water is used for these purposes”. Reports indicate that UNC-CH has not been complying with this directive.
The University has announced that they will continue testing drinking water fixtures “each day, and we receive results 5-7 days after the initial tests. A sign is placed on the fixture during testing to instruct people not to drink from the fixtures.” From early reports, such hastily made signs include paper towels with the words “out of order” written on them. Shockingly, the University has stated that students who study in buildings will not be notified which buildings have had lead found in the water. This follows a series of moves by the University to not inform or notify those exposed, with reports of students having trouble getting tests through the University and having to look off campus for blood tests.
The current lead crisis is compounded by other known health and safety issues in buildings throughout UNC-CH. Currently, nearly one billion dollars of necessary repairs and maintenance have been deferred at UNC-CH. A 2016 external report compiled by Raleigh-based Hipp Engineering and Consulting, found multiple health code, fire safety, and OSHA violations. This prompted a student protest for repairs in 2018, but no action has been taken to improve the condition of building implicated in the report. In September 2022, the elevators in Pauli Murry (recently known as Hamilton Hall) were out of service for several weeks, which prevented students with accessibility issues from being able to attend classes. These workplace violations are unjust, unacceptable, and putting hundreds at risk of injury and poor long-term health. They are also reflective of the state government’s greed – the North Carolina state budget currently has a $6.2 billion surplus that could be allocated to maintaining and updating accessibility on campus.
Below is a list of known locations and testing numbers:
Fordham Hall
On the third floor, a drinking fountain initially had non-detectable levels of lead. The second flushing resulted in a sample of 662 ppb, over 44 times the threshold.
Pauli Murray [Hamilton] Hall
On the second floor, a drinking fountain contained 5.8 ppb on first flush and 34 ppb on the second.
On the fourth floor, a drinking fountain contained 2.8 ppb on first flush and 7.2 ppb on the second.
On the fifth floor, a drinking fountain contained 9.6 ppb on first flush and 402 ppb on the second, nearly 27 times the threshold's guidance.
Manning Hall
A basement drinking fountain initially had lead levels of 4.5 ppb. The second test yielded no detectable levels.
Phillips Hall
A first-floor drinking fountain had 26.3 ppb initially, and after further testing resulted in 4.1 ppb of lead.
South Building
A basement drinking fountain detected 515 ppb of lead first, then resulted in 254 ppb.
Wilson Library
In total, four drinking fountains and 14 sinks were found to have detectable levels of lead. Further testing was completed after the University announced on Sept. 1 that three water fountains had detectable levels of lead, including a second-floor fountain with 193 ppb.
Carrington Hall
Eight drinking fountains were revealed to have detectable levels of lead:
Ground floor (beside room L10): 6.44 ppb initially, then non-detectable
First-floor (across from room 104): 69.6 ppb initially, then 81.0 ppb
Second-floor (across from room 206A): 6.9 ppb initially, then non-detectable
Second-floor (across from room 254A): 7.51 ppb initially, then non-detectable
Third-floor (across from room 306): 44.6 ppb initially, then 36.7 ppb
Fourth-floor (across from room 411): 39.9 ppb initially, then 31.5 ppb
Fourth-floor (across from room 454A and elevators): 6.29 ppb initially, then 5.39 ppb
Fifth-floor (across from room 511): 10.6 ppb initially, then 7.89 ppb
Issac M. Taylor Hall
A fifth-floor drinking fountain near the women's restroom had 7.52 ppb of lead on first test and 5.17 ppb on the second.
A basement water cooler first came back with non-detectable levels of lead but had 138 ppb on the second sample.
The Workers Union at UNC
[1] https://www.unc.edu/posts/2022/09/27/updates-on-detectable-levels-of-lead-in-campus-water-fixtures/
[4] https://www.unc.edu/posts/2022/09/27/updates-on-detectable-levels-of-lead-in-campus-water-fixtures/
[6] https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2022/09/university-maintenance-backlog-update-accessibility
[7] https://hyperallergic.com/446551/university-of-north-carolina-art-students-artwashing-accusations/