Blood tests don’t show widespread exposure after seeing levels of lead in Manchester drinking water

By Stone Andrews On Nov 12, 2021

MANCHESTER, MI – Blood tests offered to residents showed a result within an actionable range following an announcement in October that drinking water samples in Manchester exceeded a state action limit for lead, according to the Washtenaw County Department of Health.

Health Department nurses performed 28 tests. Eight of them were adults, some pregnant or recently born, according to department spokeswoman Susan Ringler-Cerniglia.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated actionable lead levels that same week, meaning the one test result that was flagged wasn’t just days ago. It is at the “low end of what is considered actionable” from the CDC, she said.

All people tested have been contacted with results and follow-up instructions, the spokesman added, and the actionable result needs to be confirmed through more sensitive testing.

Of the people tested, 20 had additional risk factors for lead exposure, including living or visiting older homes, Ringler-Cerniglia said. This is common in the Manchester area, she said, and could contribute to increased levels of lead paint and other sources beyond drinking water contamination.

Once actionable results have been confirmed, an exposure risk assessment is typically carried out, said the health ministry spokesman.

The tests followed a statutory notification from Manchester village officials that water samples taken from homes had exceeded a state limit of action.

Read more: Lead in drinking water exceeds government “action level” in Manchester

Village director Jeff Wallace then made it clear that the water provided by the village has no lead in it and that stricter regulations in recent years may have blamed responsibility for the water level from the plumbing to the houses where utility lines are located and other fixtures Introduce contamination, he said.

Announced as the toughest in the country when it was passed in 2018, the new rules require water utilities to target homes with known lead pipes, and changed the rules to make officials more likely to identify lead, which at no level can be safely absorbed and has particularly serious consequences for children.

Manchester has identified about 89 homes with lead or galvanized plumbing, notified homeowners and is working to replace them, Wallace previously said. Water samples from these households contributed to the exceedance last month, he added.

According to the Ministry of Health, officials distributed 20 water filters after the announcement and also set up the free blood test clinic.

The results of the blood tests in Manchester do not currently suggest the need for broader community testing, Ringler-Cerniglia wrote in an email. Still, the health department recommends testing for children and pregnant women, as well as others who may have been exposed to lead.

Read more: Hamtramck, Other Michigan Water Systems Labeled For Toxic Lead

Pediatricians can run tests, and the health department can arrange free tests for children 6 and under with Medicaid or no health insurance for residents who call 734-554-6700 to schedule an appointment.

The CDC recommends that all children aged 1 and 2 years be screened for lead poisoning Playmate who has lead poisoning.

“There aren’t enough lead tests being done to know how widespread the problems could be,” Ringler-Cerniglia said, adding that the health ministry is aiming to increase and explore means to increase early childhood testing.