We use novel information about fixture-specific water lead levels (WLLs) in Portland, Oregon schools to explore inequalities in students' potential for exposure to lead in drinking water at school. We find that Black and Hispanic students were in classrooms with higher WLLs than white students primarily because they attended different schools. The…

K-12 gifted and talented programs have struggled with racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, native language, and disability inequity since their inception. This inequity has been well documented in public schools since at least the 1970s and has been stubbornly persistent despite receiving substantial attention at conferences, in scholarly journals, and…

Chemical safety management is an iterative process where reviews of safety deficiencies (e.g., inspection notes) and failures (e.g., injuries) guide improvement efforts. The present work investigates safety in the school chemistry laboratory through two substudies. First, we interviewed 10 Swedish middle and high school chemistry teachers about…

The United States and the World Health Organization have worked to decrease lead exposure in children, but despite these efforts lead poisoning continues to exist in industrialized and developing countries. Prevention is the only way to preclude the health, academic and behavioral problems that occur due to the effects of lead. Public awareness…

In elementary and secondary classrooms, educators use plants for various reasons. Plants are often used during learning activities and science experiments. Also, educators frequently decorate their classrooms with plants to make the room more inviting and comfortable. Few new educators have been informed of the potential hazards of commonly known…

Hair lead content, intelligence tests, school achievement, and motor impairment assessments were obtained from 149 children aged 5 to 16. Hair lead concentration significantly discriminated between groups and significantly predicted IQ scores, independent of group classifications. Regression analyses showed a significant negative correlation…

The Seattle School District began a program in 1990 to identify lead levels in the district's drinking water and to implement measures to lower any high lead levels. Recounts each of the seven steps of the program, discusses what the district found, and explains how it lowered lead levels in the drinking water. (MLF)

Examines plumbing standards and laws regarding lead content in school bathroom faucets and how to address these concerns. Issues to consider when building new school facilities are highlighted. (GR)

A chemistry professor emeritus explains the misguided association between gout and genius. Gout, a genetic disease arising from overproduction of uric acid, was prevalent in many historical, upper-class male figures. Gout is equally prevalent in poor rural blacks. Since both populations probably suffered from ingesting lead-poisoned alcoholic…

Explains that mercury is a dangerous substance to use in school science laboratories and gives several examples of mercury poisoning. Lists some precautions that should be taken in case of mercury spillage in the lab. Advocates using non-mercury laboratory equipment and limiting student access to mercury to prevent dangerous situations. (YDS)

Data from a 1994 University of Maryland study suggest that typical janitorial tasks (sweeping, vacuuming, emptying trash receptacles, cleaning fixtures, and other related housekeeping activities) would not result in an airborne lead exposure that exceeded Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Lead abatement work should…

Lead poisoning is the number one environmental threat to children. At low levels it harms development, damages blood cells, and lowers IQ. At higher levels, it damages the nervous system, kidneys, reproductive system, and mental development. The article examines risk factors and discusses contamination, testing for lead, and prevention. (SM)

Overexposure to lead can permanently impair a child's mental and physical development. This article discusses sources of lead paint, survey and testing methods, management and abatement plans, drinking water contamination, and associated federal standards. Although lead is present in soil and in art, theater, and vocational programs, no federal…

When youth lack a value system, violence becomes an acceptable activity with no need for accountability. The traditional close-knit family that taught youngsters right from wrong and expected them to act accordingly has disappeared. Ameliorative school programs in South Carolina and Chicago are described. A sidebar describes Robert Coles's 1989…