An independent MLA says the water in her office at the B.C. legislature has tested for lead at five and a half times above the safe limit for drinking water.
Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington announced in a news release this morning that she has advised Speaker Linda Reid that drinking water in the legislative precinct is contaminated.
She also called on Health Minister Terry Lake to direct health authorities to begin testing the water in all aging public buildings, including schools.
Huntington said the testing was done following a regular two-day weekend on the morning of Feb. 29. The tests showed lead levels in the her office water at five and half times the maximum allowable concentrations permitted under provincial and federal regulations.
“The test results raise new questions about the safety of drinking water in older public buildings,” she said. “Parents deserve to know their children are drinking safe water. And employees deserve to know their water isn’t contaminated.”
Huntington’s tests follow the recent discovery of elevated lead levels in the drinking water at four older schools in Prince Rupert. The issue is believed to stem from water sitting stagnant in contact with lead pipes or lead solder in buildings that were built before 1989, when changes to the B.C. plumbing code restricted the use of lead materials.
Exposure to lead can cause behavioural problems and learning disabilities in children, according to Health Canada. The Prince Rupert schools are now flushing their pipes every morning and installing water fountains with lead filters.
Huntington said the test results at the legislature point to the need to flush the pipes regularly and conduct further tests.
