Students, staff at William McDonald School can get tested for lead levels in blood: CPHO

The Northwest Territories chief public health officer says staff and students at Yellowknife schools with elevated levels of lead in the drinking water can seek testing for lead levels in their blood. 

Dr. Kami Kandola said Thursday morning that her team has recommended, among other things, that people at those schools who were exposed follow up with primary care for a possible blood test.

On Wednesday, officials confirmed high levels of lead in the water at William McDonald Middle School and said the water at Range Lake North School shouldn't be consumed either, following another round of testing at the schools. At William McDonald, lead levels were above Health Canada guidelines in more than half the spots that were sampled; at Range Lake North, random testing showed lead levels within the recommended amount but a further stress test designed to be more likely to result in higher lead levels found elevated amounts at several points.

Lead exposure can lead to lower IQ, hyperactivity, slowed growth and anemia, Kandola said. However, those most at risk include children under six, infants and pregnant people, not necessarily middle-school aged children or staff.

The latest round of testing follows months of testing where the department of Education, Culture and Employment first received test results in January, confirmed elevated lead levels in a second round of testing in April, but didn't inform staff, students and parents until May.

Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland said she understands families' frustration and acknowledged "that this process has fallen short."

"It has not met our expectation as far as how we operate as a government. We have an expectation that we are transparent and that we prioritize the health and safety of every resident in this territory," she said Thursday. 

She said the department's focus right now is to communicate as quickly as possible with families and school staff and to address health and safety concerns. 

Then, she said, they'll see about replacing infrastructure in the schools if that's something experts recommend. 

An independent review is also underway. Cleveland said that review is intended to create processes to ensure nothing like this happens again. 

The latest results are part of an ongoing assessment of lead in school drinking water systems being conducted by engineering and environmental consulting firm Stantec. The territory said it's expecting results of that assessment "shortly". Cleveland said that report would be released publicly.