DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) -- A new law scheduled to take effect this fall requiring tests for lead in children as they enter school could result in massive cleanup and monitoring costs, some health and housing officials warn.
Lawmakers passed a bill last year as part of an effort to eliminate lead poisoning, which health officials say is one of the most preventable causes of learning disabilities and brain damage in young children.
Health and housing experts warn there could be an unexpected ripple effect of the law which could include a statewide shortage of inspectors to check houses for lead, huge costs for cleaning up lead, and an unprecedented demand for temporary housing when lead is found in a home.
State officials say Iowa has the nation's sixth-highest percentage of houses built before 1960, and most were built before 1950, when the percentage of lead in paint was highest. That means the danger is widespread.
State health officials say they've only just begun to write the rules for how school districts will enforce the blood test requirement. The rules likely will involve a way to check incoming kindergartners' names against the blood test results in state health databases.
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