BERLIN, Conn. -- Dozens of Connecticut pottery studios could be exposing children to dangerous levels of lead dust.

Beth Provost, of Niantic, has three young girls. She has spent her share of time at paint-your-own pottery studios.

Video: Documents Detail Lead Concerns

"They would go for birthday parties, they would go for play dates. We'd be over there several times a year," she said.

It never crossed Provost's mind that the popular activity could be dangerous for her kids.

The Channel 3 I-Team uncovered an advisory from the state Department of Public Health, saying products used in the studios could "pose a risk of lead exposure for children, adults and workers."

"You don't want to have a chance that your kids are exposed to lead paint. That could be very dangerous," Provost said.

DPH Sends Letters To Pottery Studios

So, why didn't parents like Provost hear about the warning until the I-Team told them? Eyewitness News took that question to the state health department spokesman Bill Gerrish. He told the I-Team the advisory was created after a young boy became gravely ill from lead poisoning and an investigation traced the lead back to the paint-your-own pottery studio owned by the boy's mother.

"We became concerned, in general. Could this be a potential source of exposure for other children?" Gerrish said.

The health department sent advisories to all Connecticut pottery studios listed with the Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association. Tara Krause, who owns Fireworks Pottery in Niantic, received one of the letters.

"The letter says that we should test our employees and test the studio for lead, which we did," she said.

One Shop Seeks Lead Tests

Krause was shocked when testing showed her shop was full of lead-contaminated dust and that her manager had elevated lead levels in her blood. She asked the testing company for recommendations.

"We shouldn't open because we could be hazardous to children," Krause said.

So, Krause shut her doors and began looking for a company to do a cleanup.

"I got an estimate to clean the shop and it was $68,000, and I said, 'Well that puts us out of business,'" she said.

Krause told the I-Team that her now defunct business did use lead-based glaze. She said she believed that by following all the instructions on the container, she was keeping her customers and her employees safe.

"There are instructions on the bucket of glaze that you should wear a mask, an apron and gloves -- which we do -- but it never indicated that there was any problem to the public," Krause said.

DPH: 'We Don't Have Regulatory Authority'

"We don't have regulatory authority. We have a duty to warn." - Bill Gerrish Conn. Dept. of Public Health

When the results came in, Krause began calling other pottery shops. She said she couldn't find a single shop that had heeded the state's advice. She believes hers was only shop to actually do full lead testing.

"I feel as if I absolutely did the right thing and we're out of business and the people who didn't do it are still in business," Krause said.

The I-Team asked state health officials why they didn't insist that every shop perform a lead test. They said that's not their job.

"We don't have regulatory authority. We have a duty to warn," Gerrish said.

The health department said it decided against issuing a press release because they felt the lead exposure risk didn't warrant a public health alert. They notified the shops and said it was up to them to take action.

The health department insisted that since there was only one sick child, the risk wasn't all that high.

"We do review all investigations of elevated blood-lead levels and we're not seeing this as a source of blood-lead contamination," Gerrish said.

With the state unable to order testing, and shops telling Krause they didn't want to "open that can of worms," most shops went untested for four months after the advisory went out. So, the I-Team decided if no one else would test, we would.

I-Team Tests Pottery Shops For Lead

The I-Team sent producer Jen Selva into the five storefront pottery studios listed with the Contemporary Ceramics Studios Association.

Following the instructions from the scientists at Northeast Laboratories in Berlin, our undercover producer performed a ghost swipe lead dust test in five stores around the state, then Dr. Bill Ullman ran some tests.

Ullman called the results astounding.

• All five shops the I-Team tested came back positive for lead dust in the very same public areas where children often paint pottery.
• Two of the tests -- The Auracle on North Main Street in Southington and The Claypen on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford -- showed levels at or below the state standard of 2.5 micrograms in a 9-square-inch test site. That means that while lead was found, it's not deemed unsafe.
• Two of the tests -- The Pottery Piazza on North Main Street in Southington and The Village Center for the Arts on Main Street in New Milford -- the results were above the state levels. Both shops came in at more than three times the lead level the state considers dangerous.
• Tests results from Fired Up in Branford showed lead at more than 12 times the state limit. The state said anything above that recommended level "can pose a health risk, especially to children and women of childbearing age."

Ullman said he thinks the odds that the I-Team's undercover testing found the highest concentration of lead in any of the shops is astronomically high, meaning it could even be worse.

"I mean, what are the odds of you getting the highest level in a 10x10 or 20x20 room?" Ullman said.

Shops React To Test, Switch Products

The I-Team called each shop to share the results. Both The Auracle in Southington and The Claypen in West Hartford said they don't use lead-based products.

"If there are children in there, and the hands get into the mouth, they'll be picking up lead." - Dr. Bill Ullman Northeast Laboratories of Berlin

Next, the I-Team called the shops with more than three times the state lead limit. The Pottery Piazza in Southington's owner, Sarah Kelleher, told the I-Team that since receiving the state advisory last fall, she switched to lead-free glazes. Now, she said, thanks to the I-Team's testing, she has called inspectors from the state Department of Labor to do full testing to make sure her employees and customers aren't at risk.

Sharon Kaufman from the Village Center for the Arts in New Milford said she was shocked by the I-Team's test results. She said thanks to the I-Team's test, she plans to stop using lead-based glaze right away.

Robin Kramer, who owns Fired Up in Branford, where the I-Team found lead there at more than 12 times the state's advisory level, said she bought the shop in November and never got the state's advisory. She said the previous owner assured her there was no risk of lead, saying "That's something I never would have approved of." After hearing about the I-Team's tests, she too, will make changes, but couldn't say what she'll do.

The I-Team asked Ullman for his advice to parents: "I suppose it's unfair to say that you shouldn't take your kids to any of them, but the question is how do you know which ones have the high levels? And, how do you know what the levels are going to be one day to the next?" he said.

Pottery Glaze Company Reacts To Test

After notifying the shops of the I-Team's results, Eyewitness News received a call from Rich Zumpone at Mayco Colors, one of the biggest manufacturers of pottery glazes. He told the I-Team that the industry actually has a task force working on this very problem.

"Some of these shop owners could stand to improve their procedures," he said.

Zumpone also said he believes some were "naive about which products contained lead and which didn't."

He also disputed the I-Team's results, saying the limited time kids spend in these shops makes the risk lower -- something with which Ullman disagrees.

"If there are children in there, and the hands get into the mouth, they'll be picking up lead," Ullman said. "It really doesn't matter how long they're in there. What does matter is this getting into their mouth and into their system."

Ullman said one minute of exposure could be as bad as all day.

The I-Team checked with state health officials after the testing. They said they're still advising all shops that use lead-based products to do full testing, but they repeated that they can't force the shops to test.

The I-Team asked the state for their advice for parents: "Ask questions. Do the materials contain lead? If so, go somewhere else," Gerrish said.