Free Lead Screenings At Clara Maass For Bellevilles Vulnerable – Belleville, NJ Patch

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville residents concerned about lead water contamination can now get free screenings at Clara Maass Medical Center, town officials announced Friday.

The hospital will offer free screenings for lead to Belleville residents at its diagnostic laboratory at 5 Franklin Avenue. All residents are eligible, but priority will be given to those most at risk of lead contamination, including children under the age of six, pregnant and nursing women, senior citizens and people with health issues.

The laboratory is located on the ground floor in Room G-8 and will be open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It will also be open Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Appointments aren’t necessary, but residents should bring a photo identification and insurance card (if applicable), although health insurance is not required.

For more information, residents can contact the diagnostic lab at 973-450-2166.

“As a partner in health for our community, Clara Maass Medical Center is here to support the community by offering screenings for those who may have concerns about exposure,” said President and CEO Mary Ellen Clyne.

Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said he pushed for the free screenings after several residents voiced concerns about the town’s drinking water in the wake of Newark’s ongoing lead contamination crisis.

The majority of Newark’s water woes have been traced to corrosion in privately owned lead service pipes, which may be affecting nearly 18,000 homes in the Pequannock service area.

Several towns – including Belleville, Nutley and Bloomfield – purchase water from Newark. And in Belleville, residents drink from an infrastructure that’s “virtually identical” to Newark’s, Melham previously said.

The mayor estimated that the cost of replacing Belleville’s lead service pipes might cost up to $24 million. But he pointed to the county’s recent announcement of a $120 million loan for Newark, which will get a key assist from the Essex County Improvement Authority (ECIA).

The same terms of the loan program have been extended to the municipalities of Bloomfield, Belleville and Nutley, officials said.

In August, Belleville township engineer and water operator Tom Herits said there are no restrictions on local residents in terms of drinking the tap water, and there is no reason to believe there are elevated levels of lead in the water the town receives from the Pequannock Reservoir.

Herits said Belleville is required to test twice a year for lead and copper levels. During the most recent testing, the “overwhelming majority” of samples came back below the acceptable state- imposed levels.

On Sept. 6, Belleville officials said the town’s water continues to be safe to drink.

“Recent tests show there is no pollution, contamination or lead in the water received from the Pequannock Reservoir,” officials stated. “As always residents are advised to run their cold tap water first thing in the morning, for about two to three minutes to flush out their residential lead service lines.”

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