Article 7. Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 106. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 7.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that childhood lead exposure represents the most significant childhood environmental health problem in the state today; that too little is known about the prevalence, long-term health care costs, severity, and location of these problems in California; that it is well known that the environment is widely contaminated with lead; that excessive lead exposure causes acute and chronic damage to a child's renal system, red blood cells, and developing brain and nervous system; that at least one in every 25 children in the nation has an elevated blood lead level; and that the cost to society of neglecting this problem may be enormous. The Legislature further finds and declares that knowledge about where and to what extent harmful childhood lead exposures are occurring in the state could lead to the prevention of these exposures, and to the betterment of the health of California's future citizens. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this article to establish a state Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program within the department to accomplish all of the following:
  (a) To compile information concerning the prevalence, causes, and geographic occurrence of high childhood blood lead levels.
  (b) To identify and target areas of the state where childhood lead exposures are especially significant.
  (c) To analyze information collected pursuant to this article and, where indicated, design and implement a program of medical followup and environmental abatement and followup that will reduce the incidence of excessive childhood lead exposures in California.

(a) A laboratory that performs a blood lead analysis on a specimen of human blood drawn in California shall report the information specified in this section to the department for each analysis on every person tested.
  (b) The analyzing laboratory shall report all of the following:
  (1) The test results in micrograms of lead per deciliter.
  (2) The name of the person tested.
  (3) The person's birth date if the analyzing laboratory has that information, or if not, the person's age.
  (4) The person's address if the analyzing laboratory has that information, or if not, a telephone number by which the person may be contacted.
  (5) The name, address, and telephone number of the health care provider that ordered the analysis.
  (6) The name, address, and telephone number of the analyzing laboratory.
  (7) The accession number of the specimen.
  (8) The date the analysis was performed.
  (c) The analyzing laboratory shall report all of the following information that it possesses:
  (1) The person's gender.
  (2) The name, address, and telephone number of the person's employer, if any.
  (3) The date the specimen was drawn.
  (4) The source of the specimen, specified as venous, capillary, arterial, cord blood, or other.
  (d) The analyzing laboratory may report to the department other information that directly relates to the blood lead analysis or to the identity, location, medical management, or environmental management of the person tested.
  (e) If the result of the blood lead analysis is a blood lead level equal to or greater than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, the report required by this section shall be submitted within three working days of the analysis. If the result is less than 10 micrograms per deciliter, the report required by this section shall be submitted within 30 calendar days.
  (f) Commencing January 1, 2003, a report required by this section shall be submitted by hand, courier, postal mail, facsimile, or electronic transfer. Commencing January 1, 2005, a report required by this section shall be submitted by electronic transfer.
  (g) All information reported pursuant to this section shall be confidential, as provided in Section 100330, except that the department may share the information for the purpose of surveillance, case management, investigation, environmental assessment, environmental remediation, or abatement with the local health department, environmental health agency authorized pursuant to Section 101275, or building department. The local health department, environmental health agency, or building department shall otherwise maintain the confidentiality of the information in the manner provided in Section 100330.
  (h) The director may assess a fine up to five hundred dollars ($500) against any laboratory that knowingly fails to meet the reporting requirements of this section.
  (i) A laboratory shall not be fined or otherwise penalized for failure to provide the patient's birth date, age, address, or telephone number if the result of the blood lead analysis is a blood lead level less than 25 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, and if all of the following circumstances exist:
  (1) The test sample was sent to the laboratory by another medical care provider.
  (2) The laboratory requested the information from the medical care provider who obtained the sample.
  (3) The medical care provider that obtained the sample and sent it to the laboratory failed to provide the patient's birth date, age, address, or telephone number.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the activities conducted by the department pursuant to Section 124130 have confirmed and supported the findings specified in Section 124125 and, in addition, have resulted in the following findings:
  (a) Very few children are currently tested for elevated blood lead levels in California. The lead registry established pursuant to Section 124130 has been effective at identifying incidents of occupational lead poisoning; however, because childhood lead screening is not now required in California, the registry is unable to serve as the exclusive mechanism to identify children with elevated blood lead levels. Additional blood lead screening needs to be done to identify children at high risk of lead poisoning.
  (b) Based on emerging information about the severe deleterious effects of low levels of lead on children's health, the lead danger level is expected to be lowered from 25 to 15 micrograms of lead per deciliter of human blood.
  (c) Lead poisoning poses a serious health threat for significant numbers of California children. Based on lead registry reports and targeted screening results, the department has estimated that tens of thousands of California children may be suffering from blood lead levels greater than the danger level.
  (d) The implications of lead exposure to children and pregnant women from lead brought home on the clothing of workers is unknown, but may be significant.
  (e) Levels of lead found in soil and paint around and on housing constitute a health hazard to children living in the housing. No regulations currently exist to limit allowable levels of lead in paint surfaces in California housing.

(a) The department shall design and implement a screening program for lead exposure of children not older than seven years old in migrant labor camps where lead-based paint has been identified pursuant to Section 50710.5.
  (b) The department may implement the screening program through the local health departments utilizing the department's protocols. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department may contract with a nonprofit organization to assist in administration of the program. The contract shall not be subject to competitive bidding requirements.

The department shall continue to direct the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program to implement a program to identify and conduct medical followup of high-risk children, and to establish procedures for environmental abatement and followup designed to reduce the incidence of excessive childhood lead exposures in California. In implementing this program, the department shall utilize its own studies, as well as relevant information from the scientific literature and childhood lead poisoning programs from outside California. The particular activities specified in this section shall be initiated by January 1, 1990, and completed on or before January 1, 1993. The program shall include at least all of the following components:
  (a) Lead screening. The department shall:
  (1) Design and implement at least one pilot blood lead screening project targeting children at high risk of elevated blood lead levels. In designing any pilot projects, the department shall give special consideration to conducting screening through the Child Health Disability and Prevention Program.
  (2) Conduct a pilot screening project to evaluate blood lead levels among children of workers exposed to lead in their occupations.
  (3) Develop and issue health advisories urging health care providers to conduct routine annual screening of high-risk children between the ages of one and five years of age.
  (4) Develop a program to assist local health departments in identifying and following up cases of elevated blood lead levels.
  (5) Develop and conduct programs to educate health care providers regarding the magnitude and severity of, and the necessary responses to, the childhood lead poisoning problem in California.
  (b) The department, in consultation with the Department of Housing and Community Development, shall adopt regulations governing the abatement of lead paint in and on housing, including, but not limited to, standards for enforcement, testing, abatement, and disposal.
  (c) The department shall conduct a study to evaluate whether abatement of lead in soil is effective at reducing blood lead levels in children.

After January 1, 1993, the department, through the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, shall continue to take steps that it determines are necessary to reduce the incidence of excessive childhood lead exposure in California.