Prevent Lead Poisoning

In addition, this months Health News is on Lead Poisoning.  Click here to read.

Change to Public Health Law affects Child Care.

§ 1370-d. Lead screening of child care or pre-school enrollees.

1. Except as provided pursuant to regulations of the department, each child
care provider, public and private nursery school and pre-school
licensed, certified or approved by any state or local agency shall,
prior to or within three months after initial enrollment of a child
under six years of age, obtain from a parent or guardian of the child
evidence that said child has been screened for lead.

2. Whenever there exists no evidence of lead screening as provided for
in subdivision one of this section or other acceptable evidence of the
child's screening for lead, the child care provider, principal, teacher,
owner or person in charge of the nursery school or pre-school shall
provide the parent or guardian of the child with information on lead
poisoning in children and lead poisoning prevention and refer the parent
or guardian to a primary care provider or the local health authority.

3. (a) If any parent or guardian to such child is unable to obtain
lead testing, such person may present such child to the health officer
of the county in which the child resides, who shall then perform or
arrange for the required screening.
(b) The local public health district shall develop and implement a fee
schedule for households with incomes in excess of two hundred percent of
the federal poverty level for lead screening pursuant to section six
hundred six of this chapter, which shall vary depending on patient
household income.

For parent information and for lead screening reporting forms go to the Child Care Provider page at Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning.

For more information on this change in Public Health Law go to LeadSafeby2010.org.