Dangerous levels of metal found in water at dozens of childcare centers in Fresno County

Dozens of childcare centers in Fresno County have dangerous levels of lead in their drinking water, according to a new report.

In compliance with Assembly Bill 2370, California requires licensed childcare centers to test tap water for lead levels. The report, compiled by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, reveals that roughly one in four of the almost 7,000 tested centers exceeded the allowable amount of lead in their drinking water.

A searchable database of the results, created by The Sacramento Bee, shows that more than 70 childcare centers in Fresno County tested at or above 5 parts per billion, the legal limit allowed by state law.

In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Susan Little, a senior advocate for the environmental group, said it’s “really alarming” that California infants and preschool-age children are being exposed to this risk in places where their parents think they are safe.

“Young children are especially susceptible to the effects of lead because their bodies just absorb it ... as if it were calcium,” Little said, “and that lead does lasting damage to their development and to their brain function and to potentially their behavior, as well as other more serious things because lead is linked to cancer and other health harms.”

No amount of lead is safe for young children in drinking water, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Lead is known for endangering the health of young children, in particular, contributing to anything from brain damage to behavioral problems with long-term effects.

For centers that have excess lead in their drinking water, the state requires that they “immediately cease” using any faucets or water outlets that exceed the allowable limit of lead until the fixture is replaced and retested, according to the California Department of Social Services.

See which day care centers reported unsafe levels

The report included 73 childcare centers in Fresno County. These centers ranged between 5 to 240 ppb on their lead test results. Only seven were at the legal limit of 5 ppb; the other 66 exceeded it.

The five highest levels of lead were found at King’s Corner Childcare in Fresno, Fresno EOC Franklin Head Start in Fresno, Fresno Jewish Day School in Fresno, Kids Kare Central West in Fresno, and Bright Beginnings Learning Center in Clovis, respectively.

Each of the five had at least 26 times the legal limit or 130 ppb. King’s Corner Childcare recorded 48 times the legal limit at 240 ppb.

Jim Fisher, owner of Kids Kare Central West, told The Bee’s Education Lab that the center immediately posted a notice for parents when the lead test results for one of its drinking fountains came back higher than the legal limit last fall.

They quickly replaced the fixture and had it retested, awaiting the results before allowing children to drink from it. The replacement cleared its lead tests in February and is now back in working order.

“It took just an insane amount of time,” he said of the entire testing process, which his center started in August.

The other four centers in Fresno County with the highest lead test results didn’t respond to the Ed Lab’s requests for comment.

None of these centers in Fresno County neared the highest level of contamination in the state, found at La Petite Academy in San Diego. Their water tested at 11,300 ppb, comparable to some of the highest levels reported during Flint, Mich.’s water crisis.

If you suspect your child has been exposed to lead

The CDC recommends that families talk to healthcare providers about getting their child a blood lead test if they suspect their child may have been exposed.

Many private insurance policies cover the cost of this test, according to the CDC. For children enrolled in Medicaid, the cost is covered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

For more information, visit California’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch website or call (800) 597-LEAD.

The Sacramento Bee’s Cathie Anderson and Phillip Reese contributed to this report.