Five Colorado schools and child care facilities may need to retest for lead, state says

A handful of Colorado schools and child care facilities may need to retest their water for lead after Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment says it recalled some test results amid an investigation into data manipulation by at least two state chemists.

Water testing at a state lab has been suspended since December, after chemists were found to have manipulated water quality data, resulting in lapses in protocols for testing for the presence of certain metals.

The department wrote in a news release that an internal review found problems with a small number of tests of water samples completed by a state lab but that there is no imminent risk to the public.

“The findings could be the result of data manipulation and/or failure of review protocols,” the release said.

The review evaluated the results of various water-quality testing efforts, including the Test and Fix program, which scrutinizes lead levels in water used by elementary schools and child care facilities. A total of 16 samples were recalled, dating back to 2022 and 2023.

The health department wrote that it has contacted schools and child care facilities that may be required to retest their water as a result, including Elk Creek Elementary School in Jefferson County, Rocky Mountain Montessori Academy in Colorado Springs, Sunshine and Smiles Childcare in Greeley, Sips & Giggles in Morgan County and Land of Wonder Home Daycare.

The department said lead levels found in the recalled test results remain below action levels when accounting for calibration margins of errors and quality control error ranges. Additionally, in some cases, more recent tests indicate there is no risk to public health.

More than 60,000 data points were evaluated as part of the internal review of the Test and Fix program, and protocols were followed completely in 99.96% of cases, according to the CDPHE.

About 96% of samples taken from tests done between 2018 and 2023 as part of a food safety surveillance partnership with the Food and Drug Administration met quality-control standards. The department said it had notified the FDA about the findings.

Some tests of mercury levels in fish were found to have not met quality-control standards in 2018, resulting in the recall of 27 test results out of 1,000 samples evaluated.

The department also found about 1.4% of water samples tested for chloride, sulfate, ortho-phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, and fluoride in drinking water and water in rivers and streams between 2018 and 2024 did not satisfy the department’s requirements. More recent tests of the drinking water systems impacted by recalled results indicate safety standards are being met, according to the department.

“It’s important to note that current findings still have not provided evidence of an imminent public health risk, but the investigation is ongoing,” CDPHE Chief Medical Officer Ned Calonge said in the release. “The internal review is an important first step to address any immediate issues and ensure transparency.”

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