The crisis that began unfolding in Flint, Mich., in 2014 provided a tragic reminder of the dangers of lead exposure. The drinking water of an entire city had been contaminated with lead. More than 8,000 children under the age of six drank lead-contaminated water.

A potent neurotoxin, lead affects how our children learn, grow and behave. According to the EPA,"In children, low levels of [lead] exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells." Lead is so toxic that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a health standard of 1 part per billion.

Now we know this toxic threat extends well beyond Flint.

Even the limited available data shows drinking water laced with lead at schools and early childhood programs across the country, in big cities but also in suburban and rural communities. In 2016, one drinking water fountain at a Montessori school in Cleveland had 1,560 parts per billion. A school in the Chicago suburbs had lead-water concentrations at 212 times the federal standard. Leicester Memorial Elementary in Massachusetts had a tap that tested at 22,400 ppb.

The only way to ensure safe drinking water for our children is to “get the lead out” of our schools and pre-schools. This involves proactively removing lead-bearing parts from schools’ drinking water systems—from service lines to faucets—and installing filters certified to remove lead at every tap used for drinking or cooking.

These steps cost money, but our children's health is worth it. To convince state and local leaders to act, we’re running a joint campaign with Environment America to raise awareness, especially among parents and parent-teacher associations; doctors, nurses and other healthcare givers; and elected officials themselves.

In the meantime, every day untold numbers of kids are going to school and drinking water with lead in it. When we get lead out of a child’s water, we make that child’s future brighter and healthier. That’s something worth paying for.