Dozens of schools and more than 80 child care centers in Vermont have tested positive for lead that exceeds the legal limits. Those are the results under new legislation requiring tests for lead at all schools and child care facilities in the state by December 2020. We're talking with state health and education officials about the testing and what happens when dangerous lead levels are detected.
Vermont has nearly 440 schools and more than 1,200 child care facilities across the state. Test results are online at the Vermont Department of Health official website, which allows users to search by school, child care or provider name, town and type.
Following a 2017-2018 pilot program that tested for (and detected) lead in the water at 16 Vermont schools, state lawmakers passed a bill this year calling for every facility to be tested by the end of 2020.
The state has allocated $1 million to help schools replace faulty fixtures.
The state's threshold for lead is four parts per billion, a stricter standard than the federal "action level" of 15 parts per billion.
Joining Vermont Edition for a discussion on lead testing in schools and child care facilities are David Grass, environmental health program manager at the Vermont Department of Health, and Ben Montross, compliance and support services section chief in the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division at the Department of Environmental Conservation.
We'll also hear from St. Albans City School Principal Joan Cavallo and facility manager Robin Boudreau on their participation in the 2017-2018 pilot program.
Broadcast live on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
