In an effort to promote public confidence and to help child care and pre-K facilities minimize child exposure to possible high levels of lead in drinking water, the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, and Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) will assist child care facilities, Pre-K, and Head Start programs with voluntary testing for lead in drinking water in 2020. The program is funded by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Childhood exposure to lead has long been a concern of researchers and medical professionals. While public water systems are required to conduct rigorous testing to ensure the water they produce meets all health-based standards and is non-corrosive, there are no state or federal requirements for child care centers or schools to test for lead in drinking water. This program will provide parents and facility staff with the information they need to make informed decisions regarding lead exposure in drinking water.
During 2020, as DHR and DECE personnel visit with staff from these facilities, they will provide instructions and sampling kits. Once facility staff collect the samples, they will be shipped to the state drinking water laboratory for analysis. ADEM will then transmit the results to the day care or Pre-K facility and also add the results to this web page. Facility staff will then share the results with parents and staff. Should there be any results higher than the Action Level of 20 parts per billion, ADEM will provide additional information to the affected facility on how to evaluate and remediate as needed.
Daycare Lead Testing Results 1/19/21
EPA’s 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water
The sampling program will utilize EPA’s 3Ts – Training, Testing, and Taking Action – along with a state lead action level of 20 parts per billion – as a guide in planning, sampling and communicating results. The 3Ts provides extensive information for schools and child care centers on how best to determine if facilities are vulnerable to lead exposure in drinking water and if needed, how to prioritize action to mitigate that exposure. Each facility visited during the program will receive instructions on how to use the 3Ts program to sample and report results.
Information for Participating Child Care Facilities
Before sampling, we recommend that facilities watch the sampling video and carefully read the sampling instructions linked below. If questions remain, please check the EPA 3Ts site for more information. If there is a problem with the sampling kit or if you need further assistance, please contact the Drinking Water Branch at (334) 271-7773.
EPA 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Toolkit
EPA Child Care Facilities Factsheet
Lead Sampling Instructions
Chain of Custody Form