1,000 tested, cleared in Morristown Medical Center lead exposure

MORRISTOWN – With the blood lead level of more than 1,000 patients, employees and children tested after possible exposure at Morristown Medical Center, none were revealed to have crossed the acceptable threshold due to exposure at the hospital, according to the hospital Friday.

The blood tests received to date have all been under five micrograms per deciliter, the Centers for Disease Control threshold for an acceptable blood lead level, according to Morristown Medical Center.

The hospital did say a single, adult blood lead level was reported over threshold, at seven mcg/dL. But the hospital said a “thorough risk assessment” concluded that person’s high blood lead level was due to previous environmental exposure.

"About 2.5 percent of the U.S. population has a blood lead level over 5 mcg/dL, so we expected to see a few results over 5 mcg/dL," said Diane Calello, director of toxicology at Morristown Medical Center. "The fact that we only have one person to date outside of this range is encouraging."

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The Morristown Medical Center continues to offer no-cost blood lead level testing for anyone concerned about potential exposure.

Morristown Medical Center established a call center last week to answer questions from concerned patients, guests or vendors about the water supply, lead exposure and testing. The telephone number is 855-635-4657 and email address is morristown.questions@atlantichealth.org.

The hospital strongly urges people to first connect with the call center, open between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., or email before taking a blood test. Outside of those hours, the NJ Poison Control Hotline is equipped to answer questions 24/7 at 1-800-222-1222.

The state mandates Morristown Medical Center test the water for lead on a “semi-annual” basis. The hospital said the last tests were done in September 2015, “with acceptable results.” The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said traces of lead were seen as early as October.

Routine testing was done between Jan. 22 and Feb. 22, as were tests conducted by the state after Feb. 25, the hospital said.

Exposure to lead preceding the Jan. 22 date is possible, according to the hospital.

“Based on what we know at present, Jan. 22 was the last time we received acceptable water results, which we are making our baseline,” the hospital said. “As we continue to investigate this matter with the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Health, that date may change.”

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DEP has issued two Notice of Violations to Morristown Medical Center, the first on Feb. 19 for the interruption in operation of the corrosion control system, and the second, Wednesday, as a result of information, including sampling results, obtained during the continuing investigation.

Copies of those documents do not list proposed penalties for the violations. DEP said penalties would be assessed after an investigation is complete.

Tests are conducted in 20 different locations throughout the hospital, and the latest tests identified levels of lead ranging from extremely low to those that exceed 15 parts per billion, a level which requires action, according to federal regulations. As soon as they learned of the results, the hospital said it “immediately and aggressively acted,” shutting off the tap water and switching to bottled water on Feb. 25.

Results of the most recent tests, taken Feb. 26, have shown a “strong decline” in the level of lead in the water, but ranged from non-detect to “well above” the EPA’s action level of 15 parts per billion (PPB). The samples went to two separate labs, DOH’s Public Health and Environmental Laboratories and Garden State Laboratories, a private certified laboratory facility.

The results from the DOH laboratory resulted in a 90th percentile value of 199 PPB with a highest result of 326 PPB and 29 of 39 distribution samples exceeding the action level of 15 PPB. Garden State Lab results also showed the 90th percentile for the 39 samples of 91 PPB.

The hospital gets its water from a well located on the property, which is only used by the hospital’s main 100 Madison Ave. campus, so no other Atlantic Health or Morristown locations are affected.  

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Tests have confirmed the well water itself is not the source of the lead.

The hospital believes the cause to be a lapse in a water treatment called orthophosphate, a chemical that keeps lead from entering the water system when working.

The DEP said a licensed operator of the Morristown Medical Center water system first advised the agency of an issue with the corrosion control system on Feb. 17. That system is used to prevent lead that may be in pipes, solder or fixtures from leaching into the water.

It had been offline for an undetermined period of time at that point, DEP spokesperson Bob Considine said. The system now appears to be in working order, but officials are waiting until the system is flushed and an ensuing test can confirm the water is once again safe.

For more information on lead and lead in drinking water, DEP directed people to two fact sheets available on the state website, http://www.nj.gov/health/ceohs/documents/dw_lead_factsheet.pdf and http://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/pdf/lead-water-faq.pdf.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannetNJ.com