Health Department said 64 St. Croix students tested negative in pediatric lead pilot

The Virgin Islands Department of Health said on Nov. 3, 2023, that all 64 Alfredo Andrews Elementary School students tested in the pilot phase of its pediatric lead screening program had negative blood lead results.

The students tested were in Granny Pre-K, first grade and second grade at the St. Croix school. The department said its Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases divisions conducted the testing.

The department also said it would expand free pediatric lead testing to children ages 0 to 6 on St. Croix beginning Nov. 6, 2023. Testing was scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Community Health van next to the department’s modular units in Estate Richmond, Christiansted, with preregistration required.

The department said it aimed to test 1,000 children on St. Croix to establish a baseline of current exposure levels.

It said pregnant women and other individuals seeking lead testing should contact a private provider or visit the Frederiksted Healthcare Center or the St. Croix Clinical Laboratory.

The announcement followed Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.'s Oct. 30, 2023 declaration of a state of emergency for St. Croix in response to concerns about elevated lead and copper levels in the island’s potable water system.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/all-tests-returned-negative-in-pediatric-lead-testing-pilot/