Final Water Results in for Schools

NOTE: Results for the 18 schools on their own well systems that have been tested in four different seasons for radionuclides can be found at the end of this release.

The water at most Nova Scotia schools that are on their own water systems is safe to drink. Schools on municipal water supplies were also tested and all meet Canadian guidelines.

Extensive testing at all 186 schools on their own water supplies has now been completed. O'Connell Drive Elementary School in Porter's Lake and Shatford Memorial Elementary School in Hubbards are the two schools that can now come off bottled water.

Sixteen schools exceed the recommended limits for lead-210. Four of those also exceed recommended standards for uranium. Two additional schools exceed for uranium only, making a total of 18 that exceed the guidelines.

Nova Scotia has conducted the series of tests on drinking water at all 186 schools that use private water supplies to determine levels of the naturally occurring radionuclides and compare them with levels recommended by Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

"We're very pleased to have the final water testing results in and to know that the water at the majority of our schools meets Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines," said Education Minister Jamie Muir. "School drinking water, however, will continue to be monitored on a regular basis to ensure our students and the staff continue to learn and work in safe and healthy environments."

The 18 schools that exceed the recommended limits will remain on bottled water.

"We know that a health risk only exists if there is a long-term exposure from drinking the water on a regular basis over a lifetime," said Dr. Robert Strang, medical officer of health for the Capital Health District. "I am pleased that the majority of schools meet the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. However, to err on the side of caution, I'm recommending that schools exceeding the guidelines remain on bottled water until the Special Water Advisory Group has completed its research into the best treatment options."

Radionuclides are naturally occurring elements that enter the water as a result of the natural breakdown of uranium in the soil. Nova Scotia has tested for all 14 natural occurring radionuclides outlined in the Canadian guidelines and found that only two, uranium and lead-210, are of significance in some parts of the province.

Because of seasonal variations, drinking water supplies must undergo a series of four tests in a year to determine the average level of lead-210. This series of four seasonal tests is now complete.

Nova Scotia is a leader in investigating natural radionuclides in drinking water and in researching information into the various treatment options.

"Now that we know that the majority of the schools in the province have good water, our focus remains in finding treatment options for those schools that exceed the guidelines," said Pat Wall, senior radiation health officer for the province and chair of the Special Water Advisory Group. "The completion of the four- season testing for radionuclides in schools is a major step in our understanding of this relatively new issue. To date, results on the water treatment options are very encouraging."

Mr. Wall added that the rest of the country is watching our efforts and awaiting our findings. Members of the advisory group will be submitting papers and articles regarding their radionuclide research to scientific journals in an effort to share the findings with other jurisdictions.

Results of research on treatment options, being supervised by the advisory group, should be available in a couple of months.

The Department of Environment and Labour has set up a toll-free telephone number for information about radionuclides in well water. The number, which operates between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, is 1-877-9ENVIRO (1-877-936-8476).

NOTE: Below is a list of the 18 schools in the province whose drinking water has been tested in four different seasons for lead-210 and/or uranium.

The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality set these limits for lead-210 and uranium:

Lead-210: 0.1 Bequerels (Bq/L) per litre
Uranium: 20 micrograms (ug/L) per litre

Lead-210 Uranium
/Bq/L /ug/L

Annapolis Valley Regional School Board:
Springfield Consolidated 0.13

Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board:
Cabot High School 21.00

Chignecto Central School Board:
Cyrus Eaton Elementary School 21.00** River John Consolidated 0.16 21.80*

Halifax Regional School Board:
Atlantic Memorial-Terence Bay 0.39 Brookside Junior High School 0.27 East St. Margaret's 0.45 22.80* Harrietsfield Elementary 0.27 66.50* Herring Cove Junior High 0.20 Sir John A. MacDonald 0.22 St. Margaret's Bay Elementary 0.23 Tantallon Elementary 0.12 Tantallon Junior High 0.40 Terence Bay 0.61 William King Elementary 0.36 24.00 Prospect Road Elementary 0.40

Southwest Regional School Board:
Big Tancook Elementary 0.15 Cape Sable Island 0.33

• average level
• * one test

Note: The final test results for Uniacke District School are within the guidelines at .09 for lead-210. However, the Department of Education and the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board have decided to keep it on bottled water as a precautionary measure because the average detected level is so close to the guideline.