The Nation - News from April 2, 1989

A report containing final results of tests on drinking water at USA Today offices in Arlington, Va., says average levels of lead are 3 1/2 times the federal guidelines and the likely source of the contamination is lead solder used on plumbing fixtures in the two buildings, the Washington Post reported. Sheila Gibbons, a spokeswoman for Gannett Co., which owns the national newspaper, said the buildings’ owners have begun a program that involves injecting sodium silicate, a nontoxic substance, into the water system. Within 60 to 90 days, the chemical gives the pipes and solder joints a protective coating that prevents leaching of lead into the water. The tests were conducted after employees became concerned over an unusually high number of miscarriages among women in the newsroom.