IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2004 DC Department of Health Offers Free Blood Lead Screening at 29 DC Public Schools (Washington, DC) - Today, the District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH), in conjunction with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA), announced that free blood lead screenings are being offered to students at 29 DC public schools.  This announcement comes after water sample tests conducted by WASA identified approximately 29 schools with elevated levels of lead in some of their water fixtures.   “Out of an abundance of caution, DOH is offering blood lead screenings to children under the age of 6 years old at each of the 29 schools with elevated levels of lead,” stated interim Chief Medical Officer Daniel R. Lucey, MD, MPH  “As we implement these safeguards, we are seeking to work with parents.  We are asking parents to complete and return the DOH consent form that we are providing before a child can be tested.  We will do everything in our power to ensure the health and safety of our children.” Health officials stated that if screenings reveal elevated blood lead levels in a young child under the age of 6 years old, the DOH will offer an inspection of the child’s home to look for other sources of lead.  Inspections will help to identify lead hazards, which include lead-based paint. “We anticipate screenings to begin next week,” said Dr. Lucey. Representatives from the DOH, WASA, and DCPS worked closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the most effective protocol for sampling the water outlets in the public schools that served the target population of children under the age of six in Head Start, Pre-K, and Kindergarten programs.   Below are the findings from the school sampling program. This report presents the results of 1,976 water samples tested representing 130 school facilities 43 fixtures have results above the action level of 20 ppb; 36 first draw and 16 second draw There are eight school fixtures that exceed on both the first and second draw Eight of the fixtures are fountains (either coolers or bubblers), with the remainder representing all sinks (kitchen, classroom, or other) Approximately 4% of the fixtures show first and/or second draw results above the action level of 20 ppb Four fixtures tested above 300 ppb on the first draw: 595 ppb, 1,830 ppb, 2,099 ppb and 7,300 ppb Three fixtures tested above 300 ppb on the second draw: 501 ppb, 538 ppb, and 4,935 ppb No fixture tested above 300 ppb on both the first and second draws If you would like additional information or have questions and/or concerns relating to lead, for blood screenings questions, please contact the DOH at (202) 671-0733 (8:15 a.m. to 7 pm weekdays) or for water testing questions, please contact WASA lead hotline at (202)787-2732 (7 am to 7 pm weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm weekends).  You may also send an e-mail to leadinfo@dchealth.com