LEAD PAINT A THREAT AT ONE-THIRD OF SCHOOLS.

Byline: Paul Hefner Daily News Sacramento Bureau

More than one in three elementary schools in California have enough deteriorating lead paint to pose a danger to children, according to survey results reported Friday.

After inspecting 200 schools - the largest study ever conducted on the issue - state health officials estimated that potential hazards exist at 37 percent of public schools statewide and advised local officials to assume that any school built before 1992 contains lead paint.

``It's not surprising the number is what it is,'' said Dr. Susan Cummins, who oversees lead poisoning prevention efforts for the state Department of Health Services. ``The older school facilities, almost all of them had lead-containing paint.''

Lead poisoning can be fatal, and even small amounts ingested by young children can cause learning impairments. The problem is most common among toddlers, who can easily swallow peeling paint that gets on their hands.

State officials did not identify the campuses with potential lead problems.

But they said that local schools can take relatively simple steps to prevent exposure to students, including painting over old surfaces and planting hedges to keep children away from buildings where paint is peeling or chipping.

``(The findings) are a warning that we should be alerted, but not alarmed, to the existence of lead in schools,'' said State Health Director Kim Belshe.

State officials recommended that school districts adopt lead-safe work practices when renovating older school buildings and make maintenance in rooms used by younger children a priority.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials said they've already taken many of the steps state officials outlined Friday.

``We have a lead compliance manual in place that the state is using as a guideline,'' said Diane Doi, deputy director of the district's environmental health and safety branch.

Doi said school plant managers are required to inspect campuses for peeling paint and report any problems to district maintenance officials. She said she didn't know how many such reports have been made.

The district also requires contractors to put dust bags on sanders and take other steps to keep paint dust away from children, Doi said. But she acknowledged that the district's efforts haven't been free of problems.

In February, more than 300 Encino Elementary School students were tested for lead poisoning when paint dust filtered into several classrooms after walls were sanded over a holiday weekend.

Doi said the district had made its maintenance contracts more specific to avoid such problems in the future.