Ever get confused when you walk into the bathroom and see a sign that says, “Hand washing only, Not for drinking use?” Since November 21st, 2025, we have noticed signs next to the sinks in both the girls and boys bathrooms that tell students to not drink water from the sinks.
You may think at first, “That’s so stupid, who would drink from the school sinks!” Unfortunately, it is possible and it’s even worse because there is lead in water, not just in our school, but in almost every single school.
Everyone is curious about why the signs were put up in the first place. We asked our Head Custodian, Carmelo Passaggio, questions surrounding the water quality. “Because some schools and some pipes have lead in it. So they test them to make sure they’re not over-limited,” Passaggio said.
Lead tests check for lead contamination by collecting “first draw” and “flushed” water samples from the sinks. Samples need to be sent to certified labs for further and precise analysis; lead is invisible, tasteless, and odorless. Mr. Passaggio confirmed that the last lead test that was done was in March, almost nine months ago.
Lead can disrupt many systems in the body, such as the digestive, nervous, respiratory.
The Edison Light contacted Queens District 24 council member James F. Gennaro’s office for further information.
Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director, Natalia Kozikowska said that water quality is regularly published each year.
“DEP publishes water quality data every year in the city’s Annual Water Quality Report, which is available online,” Kozikowska said. “The city also posts updates on water infrastructure projects, testing results, and safety information on its website.”
Kozikowska told staff writers that schools need to have clear information about water testing, which we weren’t able to find the Edison website, but it is easily found on the NYC DOE school page for Edison.
Even if the signs are put up in the bathroom to inform students not to drink, the water fountains are also experiencing issues. Water fountains are there to provide clean and safe drinking water for students to refill their bottles, however, the week of December 15th, students and staff reported that water from the water fountain looked unsafe to drink.
Bushra Tuba, a freshman, experienced an issue when utilizing her bottle refill station on the second floor. According to Tuba, she was filling up her clear plastic water bottle. Tuba went to the water fountain nearest to room 235 when she noticed the water visibility looked different from what it is supposed to look like.
“It had, like, a beige color. It had like really small green particles that were building up in the bottom. It had a small pink-colored particle,” Tuba said.
With the addition of the signs warning people that these sinks are not for drinking, this incident has further fueled students’ concerns on water health safety. Leading students to question the maintenance by the school when it comes to providing safe drinking water.
Enviroscience Consultants helps NYS schools in staying updated with the new 2023-2025 lead in drinking water rules. These regulations include a 5 ppb action level and tests conducted every 3 years by managing sampling, lab reporting, and remediation plans, often involving shutting off water sources or labeling “non-applicable” using signs stating “for handwashing only.”
Any fountain or sink that has an excess level of lead in the water must be immediately fixed by the school and have sampling done of it afterwards.
“All samples are analyzed… and results are compared against the current NYSDOH action level of 5 parts per billion (ppb). Any outlet exceeding that level requires immediate remediation and follow-up sampling,” EnviroScience Consultants said.
These situations and data are an indicator that every time you are getting water from a water fountain, whether it is in school or in some other area, try using a clear bottle and run the water to ensure it is clear.
According to the New York State Department of Health all tempered water outlets should have had signs that warn people to not drink water from the sinks as of 2020.
