North Carolina § 130A-131 - 9A. Investigation to identify lead poisoning hazards.

§ 130A-131. 9A. Investigation to identify lead poisoning hazards.

When the Department learns of confirmed lead poisoning, the Department shall conduct an investigation to identify the lead poisoning hazards to children and pregnant women. The Department shall investigate the residential housing unit where the child or pregnant woman with confirmed lead poisoning resides. The Department shall also investigate the supplemental addresses of the child or pregnant woman who has confirmed lead poisoning. When the Department learns of an elevated blood lead level, the Department shall, upon informed consent, investigate the residential housing unit where the child or pregnant woman with the elevated blood level resides. When consent to investigate is denied, the child or pregnant woman with the elevated blood lead level cannot be located, or the child's parent or guardian fails to respond, the Department shall document the denial of consent, inability to locate, or failure to respond. The Department shall also conduct an investigation when it reasonably suspects that a lead poisoning hazard to children or pregnant women exists in a residential housing unit or child-occupied facility occupied, regularly visited, or attended by a child less than six years of age or a pregnant woman. In conducting an investigation, the Department may take samples of surface materials, or other materials suspected of containing lead, for analysis and testing. If samples are taken, chemical determination of the lead content of the samples shall be by atomic absorption spectroscopy or equivalent methods approved by the Department. History (1997-443, s. 15.30(b); 2003-150, s. 4; 2017-57, s. 11E.6(c).) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2017-57, s. 11E.6(a), provides: "It is the intent of the State to protect young children and pregnant women from being exposed to high levels of lead that can cause substantial harm to their normal neurological development and to ensure important intervention services, including required remediation of lead hazards, will be provided to children and pregnant women whose health is threatened by lead exposure." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2017.'" Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.6, is a severability clause. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2017-57, s. 11E.6(c), effective July 1, 2017, substituted "children and pregnant women" for "children" in the first sentence of subsection (a); and inserted "or pregnant woman" throughout subsections (a) through (b).