State bills aim to reduce kids’ lead exposure

When a therapy dog refused to drink at a San Diego grade school, it was the first clue that something was wrong with the water.

Tests revealed why the pup turned up its nose — the presence of polyvinyl chloride, the polymer in PVC pipes that degrade over time. But further analysis found something else that had gone undetected by the dog, the teachers and students of the San Diego Cooperative Charter School, and the school district: elevated levels of lead.

Nor is this an isolated situation. Tests have turned up harmful levels of lead in water fountains and taps at other schools in San Diego and Los Angeles, where the district long ago decided to identify, flush and fix or seal hundreds of contaminated fountains. And in the wake of the much-publicized toxic lead contamination of water in Flint, Mich., a Reuters report revealed dozens of California neighborhoods in which tested children showed elevated levels of lead — a neurotoxin that causes developmental disorders and brain damage. No amount of lead in humans is considered safe.

The news has left California legislators anxious that children exposed to lead may go undiagnosed under the status quo. Doctors in the state typically refer children for lead testing only if the family says it lives in a home more than 40 years old, with peeling paint, and is on low-income assistance programs. And although public schools can voluntarily test their water for lead — free under a new California Water Board program — they are under no legal requirement to do so.

That’s not enough for the sponsors of two bills the Legislature will decide on in the next month:

AB1316, authored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, would have the state Public Health Department consider urging doctors to ask families more questions as they assess the risk of lead exposure. That could include inquiring about whether the family lives near a major highway or a former lead or steel smelter, and whether a child might be exposed by spending time in another home or building. Once those inquiries result in children being tested, the bill would require the Health Department to report the data more promptly and thoroughly.

AB746, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, would require all school districts to test their water for lead and fix or cap any contaminated water source.

How widespread is the problem? The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 5 percent of tested children in Flint had elevated lead levels. In California, the state Health Department has found that 2 percent of tested children have elevated levels.

But there are hot spots of trouble. In Alameda County, eight ZIP codes showed rates higher than or equal to Flint’s. ZIP codes within Los Angeles, Monterey and Humboldt counties also showed higher rates of childhood lead exposure. In one Fresno ZIP code, nearly 14 percent of the children tested had elevated levels of lead.

“The problem we have right now is we don’t know all the different sources of lead in the environment,” said Quirk, chair of the Assembly Commit“I tee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. “I hope it will lead to children who are higher risk being tested, because pediatricians will ask more questions and parents will ask more questions.”

Quirk’s bill originally sought to require that all young children get tested for lead by their health provider. But the insurance industry, the California Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics lobbied successfully to get that requirement removed. The medical association objected to taking away discretion from doctors and requiring costly tests even when a doctor determines there is no risk, spokeswoman Joanne Adams said.

Already the state makes blood lead testing available to any child younger than 6 on Medi-Cal or other low-income state benefit programs. About 80 percent of children on MediCal are tested, Quirk said. But he points out that while most people believe low-income children living in old homes are primarily at risk, children can be exposed to lead in a variety of ways — from school water fountains to soil in playgrounds near major highways.

think that every parent should think about having their child tested, period,” Quirk said.

The Gonzalez bill would require school districts to test for lead at least once a year or once every three years depending on when the buildings were constructed. If tests find that lead is higher than the state and federal threshold of 15 parts per billion, the school district would then have to notify parents and shut down the contaminated water source until it can be fixed.

Despite the Water Board’s free testing offer, Gonzalez said, fewer than 10 percent of schools have taken advantage of the program.

“You can’t have water with anything testing above the limits that are drinkable and not follow through and fix for the solution,” she said. “We want to ensure that when you find lead, water is shut off and parents are notified so they can have their kids tested.”

Elizabeth Aguilera is a reporter for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.