Tests: Kids Unharmed By Barracks Paint

Testing of more than a dozen children living at Vancouver Barracks showed no evidence of higher-than-normal levels of lead in their blood from old window paint.

Lt. Col. Bob Knight, commander of Vancouver Barracks, said 18 children and one pregnant woman had blood drawn and analyzed last month.

All tests came back negative except for two that were judged to be “borderline,” Knight said. However, both of those children moved into barracks housing in the past two weeks, he said.

“They have not lived in military housing before, so they picked it up somewhere else,” he said. “We’re going to re-test them just to confirm.”

The Army has painted over the lead-based paint in seven duplexes and two houses, Knight said. However, friction from windows opening and closing can cause lead particles to loosen and fall onto windowsills and floors, he said.

Sixteen families live in military housing at Vancouver Barracks, Knight said.