When it comes to environmental health hazards, lead is one of the main toxins that can have detrimental effects on humans—and especially children.
“Lead is a neurotoxin that can permanently damage young children’s nervous systems,” said Susan Little, an Environmental Working Group senior advocate of government affairs in California. “Even small amounts of lead can lower a child’s intelligence, cause behavior and learning problems, slow growth, and harm hearing.”
And according to the Environmental Protection Agency, as much as one-fifth of a child’s exposure to lead comes from drinking water.
Fortunately, California regulators have taken action with a new program.
New Lead Testing Program is Comprehensive
To protect the health of children who stay in child care centers (CCCs), the Department of Social Services has launched a program to test for lead in the drinking water of all licensed childcare facilities in the State, plus set up new guidelines for the childcare centers to follow.1
This program will help benefit more than 700,000 children who are enrolled in state-licensed child care centers, which are mostly housed in private buildings.
First Lead Testing Must Be Completed by January 1, 2023:
Assembly Bill (AB), Chapter 676, Statutes of 2018, requires all licensed Child Care Centers (CCCs) constructed before January 1, 2010 to test their drinking water for lead contamination between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2023, and then every 5 years after the date of the first test. This requirement does not apply to Family Child Care Homes.2
What happens if the lead testing exceeds the water safety level?
If lead in water exceeds the Action Level of 5 ppb, AB 2370 requires centers to immediately make inoperable and cease using the affected fountains and notify all parents and guardians of results.3
Contact Adviro for Professional Lead Testing
With less than one year for child care centers to conduct the tests for lead in their water, it is critical to have the testing done by an environmental testing company to avoid missing the state’s deadline.
This is where an Adviro environmental testing professional can help. As a top-rated San Francisco Bay Area environmental consulting and testing company, we’re known for our professionalism, efficiency, and accuracy when it comes to testing. We provide easy-to-understand and thorough reports, so you have all the data you need to comply with the lead testing requirements. To make an appointment, send us an email at info@goadviro.com or call (844) 607-9667.
For more information about the California Department of Social Services Lead Testing Program, you can reach them at:
744 P Street, MS T9-15-48
Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: (916) 651-6040
Email: cclwebmaster@dss.ca.gov
1 Environmental Working Group
https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2021/07/california-protects-kids-lead-testing-child-care-drinking-water
2 https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CCLD/PINs/2021/CCP/PIN-21-21-CCP.pdf
3 https://ccwater.com/843/Lead-Sampling-for-Schools-and-Child-Care
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