Students Tested for Lead Poisoning

A contractor is expected to be hired within several days to clean up lead found at Suva Elementary School, a school district spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, parents began arriving at neighborhood clinics to have their children tested for possible lead poisoning. The blood tests are being offered by the Montebello Unified School District as a precaution, said spokeswoman Valerie Martinez.

Elevated lead levels were recently found at the campus after parents voiced worries about possible contamination from nearby chrome plating plants. Health officials have concluded that the lead must be cleaned up, but the problem is not severe enough to move children and staff from the school, Martinez said. Results of the children’s blood tests are not expected for several days.

Studies are continuing, but officials suspect that old lead-based paint is the source.