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Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. It is used to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the color, taste or properties of the fluid. R.O. uses a membrane that is semi-permeable, allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it, while rejecting other ions and contaminants from passing. This technology uses a process known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. This is the reason of why an r.o. element can last many years before clogging or need replacement. This water purification process requires a driving force to push the fluid through the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure from a booster pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force and efficiency.

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High Lead Levels in School's Water
Prompt Shut-Offs Of Drinking Fountains for Kids

But officials began notifying parents, principals and unions at the schools by letter. Notices will also be posted in the schools. All told, 298 sinks, used mainly for washing hands, and 254 drinking fountains were found to have water that exceeded the federal government's recommended safe level for drinking water, 20 parts per billion, Mr. Chai said. There is no apparent pattern among the affected schools, he said, but the source of the lead appeared to be old pipes.

The city began daily flushing of the water systems of all schools in August to minimize the possibility of lead in the water until each school had its water tested, officials said. Water at the city's middle and high schools is now being tested. The tests, part of the city's first comprehensive school-water-testing program, are believed to be the most comprehensive tests in the nation, officials said. The only previous tests were in 1996, when water in some city schools was randomly sampled and tested for contamination, Mr. Chai said. The results of those tests were not available.

Ernest Clayton, the president of the United Parents Association of New York City, said, "I've got to give them credit for having it done, but for this to have gone unattended for so long is really a shame."

Many of the school buildings are a century old, he said, and the water in their pipes may have contained lead for decades.

Mr. Clayton said the association would advise parents to take their children from the affected schools to the doctor for blood tests. Dick Riley, a spokesman for the United Federation of Teachers, said he had not yet seen the test results, but added that he hoped the city would fix the affected sinks and fountains as soon as possible.

Plumbing systems and fixtures once routinely used lead, but that is now prohibited, according to the Web site of the New York City Health Department. In buildings with old pipes, joints or fixtures, it can be released when the water is heated or sits in the pipes.

Lead can disrupt the growth and development of a child's brain and nervous system, and is most dangerous to children younger than 6. At high levels, it can damage the kidneys, blood and brain.