Water quality tests performed in Clark Hall by the introduction to environmental science class were “inconclusive,” according to biology professor Deke Gundersen.
“Students were given a variety of different test kits to familiarize themselves with the processes,” said Gundersen. One of those kits tested for lead and the students assigned to it found traces of the neurotoxin in Clark Hall’s tap water.
“This was not scientific by any means,” said Gundersen. The tests were informal and not performed in a laboratory, allowing for a wide margin of error.
Many variables could have contributed to the findings, from old pipes to human contaminants and improperly cleaned materials.
Gundersen’s class will be repeating the test in a formal setting on Nov. 4.
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