Sec. 88.006. REPORTS OF HOSPITALIZATION; DEATH

(a) A physician who attends a child during the child's hospitalization shall immediately notify the department if the physician knows or suspects that the child has lead poisoning or a blood lead level of concern and the physician believes the lead poisoning or blood lead level of concern resulted from the child's exposure to a dangerous level of lead that may be a threat to the public health.

(b) A physician who attends a child during the child's last illness shall immediately notify the department if the physician:

(1) knows or suspects that the child died of lead poisoning; and

(2) believes the lead poisoning resulted from the child's exposure to a dangerous level of lead that may be a threat to the public health.

(c) An attending physician, health authority, or regional director, with the consent of the child's survivors, may request an autopsy if the physician, health authority, or regional director needs further information concerning the cause of death in order to protect the public health. The health authority or regional director may order the autopsy to determine the cause of death if the child's survivors do not consent to the autopsy. The autopsy results shall be reported to the department.

(d) A justice of the peace acting as coroner or a medical examiner in the course of an inquest under Chapter 49, Code of Criminal Procedure, who finds that a child's cause of death was lead poisoning that resulted from exposure to a dangerous level of lead that the justice of the peace or medical examiner believes may be a threat to the public health shall immediately notify the health authority or the regional director in the jurisdiction in which the finding is made.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 965, Sec. 52, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.