Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SANDY — Intermountain Healthcare and the Salt Lake County Health Department will be offering free blood lead level testing for Sandy residents affected by the city’s recent water contamination issue.
The testing will take place on Saturday, the health department said in a news release. Testing is open to residents living between 700 East and 2140 East from 10600 South to 11400 South.
People are asked to call the health department at 385-468-4636 to make a testing appointment. The call-in line will be open until 7 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, health officials said. There are several testing locations in the area, officials added.
A Feb. 5 release of undiluted fluoride into the city’s water system caused piping to be stripped, releasing lead and copper into the system, state officials said.
Testing is to ensure that Sandy residents do not have high levels of lead in their blood. It takes about three minutes and is administered through a finger prick, health officials said.
There are multiple testing locations, officials said. Appointments will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. If all slots fill up, people will be rescheduled for another testing time, officials said.
Lead exposure from the event was brief and isn’t likely to cause a long-term health issue, officials said. However, health officials want to provide Sandy residents with peace of mind.
“Sandy City has made a great effort to restore their systems, and as a community partner, we want to help rebuild confidence and peace of mind in their neighborhoods,” Intermountain Healthcare senior vice president for Community Health Mikelle Moore said in the news release.
