Hazards of Lead in Schools and Day Care Facilities

Book excerpt: The hearing reported in this document examined issues dealing with environmental lead hazards in schools and day care centers and the threat that lead poses to children's health, with a special focus on problems in New York City (NYC) public schools. Following an account of the opening remarks by Representatives on the committee and subcommittee, the hearing report contains accounts from the subcommittee of the disregard for lead hazards by schools and child care facilities, and of the lead hazard in the NYC public schools, including two documents, generated by the NYC Board of Education and the Chancellor's office, on the extent of the city's problem. Testimony was offered by the director of environmental protection issues for the General Accounting Office; the chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics; the chief of the division of school facilities, NYC Board of Education; a member of Parents Against Lead in Schools; a professor of pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center; and the chairperson of the New York Coalition to End Lead Poisoning. A written statement from the National School Boards Association is also included. (MDM)