Parents of children who attend Beaver Dam Elementary School have been warned about high levels of lead in the water there.
Chipped paint at the school prompted the Cumberland County Department of Public Health to test for lead in the water of the school in the southeastern part of the county.
The procedure is routine in older buildings.
The school, built in sections between 1920 and 1978, had levels of 130 micrograms of lead dust per square foot and 2.3% concentration in the paint.
The state mandates that lead levels in any building regularly used by children under age 6 that was built before 1978 cannot exceed 10 micrograms per square foot on floors and 0.5% concentration in paint.
“When we do a lead investigation, we make recommendations to the school, and part of those recommendations are about abatement,” said Jennifer Green, Cumberland County health director. “So, we talk with them about making sure that they remove or repair the areas in which the paint was chipping.”
Finding lead in buildings like the school is not all that common for the department. This is only the third case in the past two years, according to Green.
A news release from the Department of Public Health said parents of students younger than 6 who attended in-person instruction at the school in the past six months received a hard-copy notice about the problem. It recommended that children be tested to determine the lead level in their blood.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health effects of lead exposure are more harmful to children age 6 and younger because their bodies are still developing and growing rapidly.
Green said high levels of lead in children can lead to developmental delays with children falling behind in important growth benchmarks.
According to the Department of Public Health, no student is known to have lead levels that exceed state guidelines that trigger follow-up care.
“We want parents and guardians to know they have access to the tools necessary to ensure their child’s safety and well-being,” said Green. “A simple blood test to determine your child’s blood lead level is available at the Public Health Department or from your regular doctor.”
The health department provides free blood tests for any Beaver Dam Elementary School student who attended in-person classes in the past six months. Testing is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Public Health Department, 1235 Ramsey St. Walk-ins are accepted.
Parents who have questions about the testing can call 910-433-3618 or 910-321-7111.
Representatives of Cumberland County Schools directed all questions about the lead problems to the Department of Public Health.
Government accountability reporter Char Morrison can be reached at cmorrison@cityviewnc.com.
