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SNHD Testing For Lead In Goodsprings' Water

Health officials are testing for lead in the blood of schoolchildren in a tiny former southern Nevada mining town where more than the federal safety limit of the heavy metal was found in water samples.

A Southern Nevada Health District official says results weren't immediately available Thursday after pinprick blood tests Wednesday of about 12 students and adults at historic Goodsprings Elementary School.

Officials say water at the community center showed a lead concentration of 16 parts per billion.

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While no lead exposure is considered safe, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets a limit of 15 parts per billion.

District chief health officer Dr. Joe Iser told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the tests were recommended based on samples taken in September.

Goodsprings is about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas.