In six new results, DeKalb County School District officials said lead was discovered in water samples from four of the buildings.
The results, posted on the district's lead testing map, show lead was discovered at Allgood Elementary School, the International Community School, The Museum School and Stone Mountain Elementary School. Tests at Avondale and Toney elementary schools found no traces of lead in water sources.
Lead levels above the federally mandated limits were discovered at Redan Elementary in the first posted results.
The Environmental Protection Agency limits lead levels to 15 parts per billion. School water fountains should not exceed lead concentrations of 1 part per billion, recommends the American Society of Pediatrics, saying even low lead levels could affect behavior and learning. Old pipes contribute to lead levels, and water left sitting in pipes can further elevate numbers.
No Georgia law requires testing water for lead in schools or day care centers.
Elementary schools are among the first tested, given priority because of those students' ages. The district's 106 buildings built before 1986 are at high risk, as lead was legally used during construction. Lead levels depend on several factors, including the water temperature as well as how long it sits in pipes.
Recently, Atlanta Public Schools found elevated lead levels in some of its buildings, too.
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