Schoolchildren across Western Australia may be exposed to lead-contaminated water because the same plumbing materials plaguing Perth Children's Hospital could also be in schools, an expert has warned.
Peter McCafferty, chief executive of the state-run ChemCentre, told a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday the same brass fittings responsible for leaching lead into the drinking water supply at the beleaguered project were probably used in schools across the state.
Schools were at an even greater risk of lead leaching due to water stagnation over the long summer holiday period, he said.
Mr McCafferty recommended flushing pipes before the start of every school year.
He said ChemCentre had informed the state government of the potential problem in June but would also formally recommend water analysis at new schools and government buildings across the state.
Opposition Leader Mike Nahan said the materials used in the children's hospital were not unique and he had been arguing for testing at schools and government buildings for "some time".
"We know they were used in Fiona Stanley Hospital, in Midland Hospital, in Joondalup Hospital, in fact some of the same contractors were put in there," he told reporters.
"We also know we had a massive expansion in our schools - the same materials were used in those schools."
ChemCentre has tested 21,000 water samples at Perth Children's Hospital in the past year to investigate the source of the contamination.
The project is already long overdue and an opening date remains elusive.
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