VOORHEESVILLE — With the water test results that revealed lead contamination in several of Voorheesville Elementary School’s sinks only a few weeks old, the school district hosted a forum Monday night with new information on further testing, and how parents can get their children screened for lead for free.

The forum, held at the elementary school gym, featured panelist Superintendent Brian Hunt, elementary school Principal Jeffrey Vivenzio, facilities director Mike Goyer, and representatives from the lead testing firm CT Male and state and county health departments.

The most recent tests of the water had been conducted for every outlet in the district, totaling over 200 tests, said Hunt at the forum. Goyer said they were done last Wednesday and Thursday at the elementary school, and on Saturday at the middle school and high school. The results are expected to come back within the next two weeks.

A letter was sent out from Hunt on Monday regarding these water tests, stating that water from the kitchen sink — an outlet of greatest concern because its original test showed unusually high lead levels — had 4,530 parts per billion of lead after initially running the tap, and 15 parts per billion after running the tap for 30 seconds. The state-enforced maximum is 15 parts per billion. This test was conducted after the district replaced the sink’s faucet, as it was suspected the faucet was a cause of contamination.

Hunt described to the crowd of 50 a white residue found in the line to the faucet. A school maintenance worker had come forward after the high lead level was announced, to say he had repaired the faucet by soldering fittings onto the faucet with solder that was on hand, not realizing the solder contained lead, said Goyer. He added that any larger projects at the school are done by a contracted plumber — Crisafulli Brothers — and Hunt noted that this is the first soldering job done by a maintenance worker in the last seven years.

Hunt says the kitchen sink’s water was retested with “brand new plumbing.” He told The Enterprise that the hot and cold water lines that branch off from the main line to the sink were replaced. He added that any plumbing done in order to combat lead contamination would be reimbursed in full by the state.

According to Hunt’s letter, the next test found 146 parts per billion after initially drawing water, and 7 parts per billion after running the water for 30 seconds. Contamination was likely from the pipe and solder joints, and would have occurred between mid-May when the faucet was fitted and mid-June when school ended, Hunt wrote in his letter. The sink was not used during the summer, he told The Enterprise.

At the forum, Kimberly Evans, of the state health department’s Bureau of Water Supply, discussed the new state regulations, which require all schools to conduct lead tests. Albany County Health Department Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen noted that children between the ages of 1 and 2 are also required to be tested for lead. Whalen commended the Voorheesville school district for being proactive in testing for lead before these regulations were set in place for schools, noting not only the recent tests but also ones that were conducted in 2007.

The tests in 2007, part of a federal initiative, did not show any levels above the state maximum, but the maximum was set at 20 parts per billion at the time. No levels in 2007 were over today’s maximum levels, said Goyer.

Whalen, explaining that her department had sent out field staff to investigate after receiving the school’s initial results, said that schools often have high lead levels in their water partly from old infrastructure, but also from yearly patterns of water sitting unused in pipes for extended periods of time.

“This is a common way that lead can get into water,” said Whalen.

While Whalen noted that lead-contaminated water has become a nationwide concern, she said that the most common form of contracting lead poisoning is from exposure to lead paint in older homes, much more so than from water.

“But this is an evolving science,” she said, and added that, since most cases of lead poisoning have few symptoms, she encouraged parents to have their children’s blood tested. She mentioned that the Central/Eastern New York Lead Poisoning Resource Center out of Albany Medical Center would be able to assist those looking to obtain a blood test.

Hunt told parents at the forum that the school would reimburse blood test expenses if a receipt were brought in before Dec. 31. He told The Enterprise that testing of staff would occur on Monday morning. The cost of the staff tests will be covered by the district.

At the forum, an audience member asked about the protocol to follow at home. Evans said that a similar protocol of running the tap for 30 seconds to lower lead levels is encouraged, as well as using cold water rather than warm for cooking and drinking.

Several audience members asked questions regarding how the situation was being communicated to the students, particularly the elementary school students who would be most affected. Although parents acknowledged their children could be misinformed or confused, several said their children came home telling them that there were no cups to drink bottled water from or that the water fountains, which they were forbidden to use, were not turned off. One parent spoke of rumors being spread by the children about “poison” in the water.

Vivenzio said that so far children are being told not to use water from classroom sinks or school fountains and to use the water being provided. The students have not been informed of the entire situation, he said, because there is still information coming in. When enough information is obtained from the test results, said Vivenzio, the administration will determine how to communicate it to students.

According to Evans, the next time these tests will occur will be 2020 and they will be repeated every five years, as mandated by the state.

“There’s more work to be done,” Hunt told The Enterprise. “We’re not done yet.”