When it comes to public safety and the health of our children, a certain adage rings especially true: It's better to be safe than sorry.

Such appears to be the thought behind efforts by the state to ensure that tap water at all licensed childcare and daycare centers don't contain high levels of lead. As a recent Advertiser article pointed out, Hawai'i has one of the lowest rates in the nation of elevated blood levels in children.

Still, there's no such thing as being too safe. And the fact that both the Department of Health and Department of Human Services are stepping up efforts to keep those numbers down is encouraging.

The project will take two years to complete, after which the state hopes to use its findings to expand the lead testing to all public schools, according to Janice Okubo, public information officer for the state Department of Health. Indeed, this would be a fitting way to use federal funds from the Environmental Protection Agency granted to the state's Safe Drinking Water Branch.

"Our safe drinking water branch, which oversees drinking water in the state, were thinking about this project for a while," said Okubo. "The funds from the revolving grant can go toward giving low-interest loans to counties to improve their systems. Testing tap water is another acceptable use of the funds, and we opted for preschools and daycares because that age group is most vulnerable."

Though our numbers are low, the stakes are still high. Health risks linked to lead intake include learning disabilities, hyperactivity, impaired growth and behavioral issues.

A conscious effort to keep these dangers at bay is crucial to keeping our children safe. Clearly, the state agrees.