RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Blood tests are being recommended for children who go to two downtown Raleigh child facilities as they may have been exposed to unsafe levels of lead dust, according to Wake County officials.

The county mailed notices to around 70 families on Thursday whose children may have been exposed to the lead dust at Beginnings and Beyond Child Development Center and Sacred Heart Cathedral School.

“While COVID-19 is on the top of everyone’s minds, Wake County is continuing the everyday inspections that protect residents from other threats to their health,” said Andre Pierce, director of Environmental Health and Safety. “Restaurants are still serving take-out, essential workers are still entrusting their children to daycares, and our inspectors are still behind the scenes working to keep facilities up to safe and accepted standards.”

County staff have continued to monitor for other environmental contaminants even as they work to stop the spread of COVID-19. Routine inspections of facilities that serve the public are still being performed, officials said.

Officials said that “the findings of lead dust would not require the facilities to close, but each location has already closed voluntarily due to COVID-19. Inspectors test for lead dust by collecting samples with wet wipes and sending them to the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health for analysis.”

The county has notified the operators of both facilities and has also provided information and guidance as to how to clean up the lead dust.

Sacred Heart Cathedral School has already completed cleaning, and more recent tests show lead levels have been reduced to meet the standards enforced in North Carolina.

A simple blood test can determine whether a child has been exposed to lead, officials said. The notices mailed to parents recommend scheduling an appointment with a primary care physician or the Wake County Human Service’s children’s clinic.

County officials said that even as families get blood testing for children, they should maintain social distancing and take other steps to prevent exposure to COVID-19. 

Lead poisoning can cause learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and other adverse health consequences, the county said. For parents with additional questions, the mailed notice will include contact information for a Wake County lead specialist.

LATEST HEADLINES: