Flint water crisis expert to help Miami Valley Hospital investigate elevated lead levels

Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, wants to know the cause of elevated lead levels in its water supply and has enlisted a Flint, Mich., water crisis expert to help find the answer, according to a Dayton Daily News report.

The problem stems from June 17, when the hospital's lead tests in the southeast addition of the building tested from 15 to 225 parts per billion for lead, according to the report. Anything more than 15 parts per billion is not acceptable by federal standards. The hospital has also found elevated levels in the water supply of two additional buildings — the Berry Women's Center and the Fred E. Weber Center for Health Education.

The hospital plans to continue flushing through the water supply system until lead levels go down, the report states. In the meantime, the organization has hired experts to find the contamination source — an effort that will be spearheaded by Marc Edwards, the engineer who uncovered the water crisis in Flint, Mich. The report notes that Tim Keane, a water quality expert, will also help investigate.

The Dayton Daily News reports that road construction near the hospital could be a source of the issue, and officials are looking into that possibility.

For now, according to the report, the hospital has shut off water to drinking fountains and ice machines in the affected areas, and has provided bottled water for its affiliated childcare center.

 
 
 

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