Lead In The Water

Portland Teacher Requires Medical Attention After Lead Testing

By Rob Manning (OPB)
Portland, Oregon June 21, 2016 2 a.m.
Jeff Strang of the Multnomah County Health Department draws blood from ACCESS Academy 8th grader Maura Kelley to test for lead.

Jeff Strang of the Multnomah County Health Department draws blood from ACCESS Academy 8th grader Maura Kelley to test for lead.

Jonathan House

Two Portland teachers have had lead show up in their blood, according to test results they've shared with their union. And both teachers have ties to Peninsula, a K-8 school in North Portland.

Portland Association of Teachers president Gwen Sullivan said one of the two teachers recently left Peninsula for another school.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify 5 micrograms per deciliter as the "action" level for children and 10 micrograms for adults. Sullivan said the former Peninsula teacher was above those levels.

"We just found out on Friday that one of our teachers did test three times over the safe limit and does need medical attention to get the lead out of her body," Sullivan said.

OPB is not releasing the name of that teacher or the teacher's second school because the teacher hasn't given permission to be identified. Sullivan had few details on that teacher's home and whether that might be a source of the lead poisoning.

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Related: Lead In The Water

The teacher has asked if her medical bills might be covered by Portland Public Schools. Both union and district officials suggest a step like that would likely require a thorough investigation to determine that the school — and not the teacher's home or other source — was the cause of the lead poisoning.

Meanwhile, Peninsula kindergarten teacher Rebecca Gregor told colleagues that lead has shown up in her blood but not enough to require treatment. Gregor said her own children — who attend Peninsula — haven't tested high. But Gregor said her kids bring water from home to drink at school, while she drinks from water fountains and coffee brewed with school water.

Gregor wrote to her fellow staff members to prompt them to get tested, too.

"Since I know I have lead and largely suspect it came from Peninsula, I am urging all of you to get tested immediately!" Gregor wrote to the Peninsula staff.

A 261-page summary of Portland Public Schools' water fixture tests shows one Peninsula fixture had a recent elevated level: a food prep sink in the kitchen, tested in 2011. It's one of a handful of fixtures that PPS officials acknowledge wasn't immediately remedied.

In general, health officials say people are most often affected by lead in the home, rather than from institutions like schools. Gregor said she is getting her home tested for lead as well.

Related: Who Shows Up, And Who Doesn't, In Mountain Of PPS Lead-Related Emails

Portland Public Schools is testing for lead in school drinking water districtwide and planning to publish results as they come in.

The district is looking into sending teachers kits to test their own blood. It also may offer blood tests at a school.

Portland Public Schools brought in Multnomah County health staff earlier this month to test students and pregnant staff members at Creston and Rose City Park schools — two schools discovered this spring to have elevated lead levels in drinking water.  

PPS has since released documents showing dozens of other schools tested high for lead in recent years, and it's not clear what steps were taken to mitigate those sources. The district turned off all drinking water at the end of May and supplied bottled water to all schools through the end of the school year.

A PPS spokesperson said if the district offers more lead screening, it will likely focus on testing pregnant staff and long-time district employees, two groups most at risk for adverse effects.

Union officials want exposed school staff tested as soon as possible for the most accurate readings.

A district spokesperson says school staff can expect to hear more in early July.

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