Lead-Based paint, dust, and soil in and around your home can be dangerous if not managed properly.
- Highly toxic metals may cause various health problems
- If absorbed into the body, it can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs
- It may also cause behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures, and in extreme cases, death.
- Headaches, stomachaches, nausea, tiredness, and irritability.
- Lead-poisoned children may show no symptoms.
Both inside and outside of the home deteriorated lead-based paint mixed with household dust and soil and became tracked in. Children may become lead poisoned by:
- Hands or other lead-contaminated objects into their mouths,
- Eating paint chips from peeling or flaking lead-based paint, or
- Playing in lead-contaminated soil
Lead-based paint may also be a hazard when children can chew or that get a lot of wear and tear, such as:
- Windows and window sills;
- Doors and door frames; and
- Stairs, railings, banisters, and porches.
CAUTION:
If your home was built before 1978:
- Wipe down flat surfaces, like window sills, with a damp paper towel and throw away the paper towel,
- Mop smooth floors (using a damp mop) weekly to control dust; take off shoes when entering the house
- Vacuum carpets and upholstery to remove dust,
- If possible, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter or a “higher efficiency” collection bag,
- Discard loose paint chips with a paper towel, then wipe the surface clean
- Take precautions to avoid creating lead dust when remodeling, renovating, or maintaining your home,
- Test for lead hazards by a lead professional. (Have the soil tested too).
Soil, Yards, and Playgrounds
Soil, yards, and playgrounds can become contaminated when
- exterior lead-based paint from houses or buildings flakes or peels and gets into the soil.
- Soil may also be contaminated by leaded gasoline in cars, industrial sources, or even from contaminated sites, including former lead smelters.
- Lead is also naturally occurring and can be found in high concentrations in some areas.
Lead in soil can be
- Ingested due to hand-to-mouth activity or from eating vegetables that may have taken up lead from the soil in the garden.
- Lead in soil may also be inhaled if resuspended in the air or tracked into your house.
Important:
- Older playground equipment can still contain old lead-based paint;
- Artificial turf (Artificial Grass) and playground surfaces made from shredded rubber can have lead.
- Ensure young children do not eat shredded rubber or put their hands in their mouths before washing them.
To reduce exposure to lead from soils, yards, and playgrounds:
- Check the exterior of your home, including porches and fences, for flaking or deteriorating lead-based paint that may contaminate soil in your yard or be tracked into your house.
- Put doormats outside and inside all entryways,
- Remove shoes before entering to avoid contaminated soil in your house.
- Wash hands several times daily using soap and water, especially after playing or working outside.
- Plant bushes close to the house to keep children from playing in the soil near your home.
Dust
Lead in household dust results from indoor sources such as
- old lead-based paint on surfaces that are frequently in motion (such as window frames),
- deteriorating old lead-based paint on any surface,
- home repair activities,
- tracking lead-contaminated soil from the outdoors into the indoor environment,
- or even from lead dust on clothing worn at a job site.
Even in well-maintained homes,
- lead dust can form when lead-based paint is scraped, sanded, or heated during home repair activities.
- Lead paint chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects people touch.
- Settled lead dust can re-enter the air when the home is vacuumed or swept or people walk through it.
To reduce exposure to lead dust, it is imperative to:
Maintain all painted surfaces in good condition.
- Clean frequently using a wet mop, cloth, or sponge to reduce the likelihood of chips and dust forming.
- Use a lead-safe certified renovator to perform renovation, repair, and painting jobs to reduce the likelihood of contaminating your home with lead dust.
- Find a lead-safe certified firm near you.
Products
Lead can also be found in
- painted toys,
- furniture and
- toy jewelry;
- cosmetics;
- food or liquid containers;
- and plumbing materials.
That favorite dump truck or rocking chair handed down in the family, antique doll furniture or toy jewelry could contain lead or lead-based paint.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has a comprehensive program on lead-in toys, including toy jewelry. Biting or swallowing toys or jewelry containing lead can cause a child to suffer from lead poisoning.
Food and liquids stored or served in lead crystal, lead-glazed pottery, or porcelain can become contaminated because lead can leach from these containers into the food or liquid.
Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials like pipes, faucets, and fixtures that contain lead corrode.
Drinking Water
Lead can enter drinking water through corrosion of plumbing materials, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures, and solder.
Corrosion is the dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction between water and your plumbing.
Corrosion control treatment means utilities must make drinking water less corrosive to the materials it comes into contact with on its way to consumers’ taps.
Jobs and Hobbies
Working with lead and/or lead-based paint (e.g., renovation and painting, mining, smelting, battery recycling, refinishing old furniture, autobody, shooting ranges); or having a hobby that uses lead (e.g., hunting, fishing, stained glass, stock cars, making pottery) could cause you to bring lead home on your hands or clothes, or contaminate your home directly.
Can be found in
- hunting ammunition,
- fishing tackle,
- Lead came and solder was used in stained glass,
- weights used in stock cars,
- dyes and glazes used in pottery
- and many other places.
Important:
- Never put leaded materials (fishing sinkers, lead came or solder for stained glass, or leaded pottery clay or glaze) in your mouth.
- Use proper ventilation and equipment when melting lead to casting your bullets, sinker, decoys, or other metal items.
- Avoid handling food or touching your mouth or face while working with lead materials, and wash your hands before eating or drinking following such activities.
- Shower and change clothes before entering your vehicle or coming home.
- Launder your work and hobby clothes separately from the rest of your family’s clothes.
- Keep all work and hobby materials away from living areas.
- If someone in your family is a renovator or contractor working in older housing, find out more about lead-safe work practices.
If you are an owner or operator of outdoor rifle, pistol, trap, skeet, or sporting clay ranges, find out more about lead management at ranges.
Folk Remedies
Some folk remedies that contain lead, such as “Greta” and “azarcon,”are used to treat an upset stomach.
Some folk remedies for morning sickness, including “nzu”, “poto” and “calabash chalk,” contain dangerous levels of lead and other chemicals.
Consuming even small amounts of lead can be harmful.
For your child:
- Have your child’s blood lead level tested at ages 1 and 2. Children from 3 to 6 years of age should have their blood tested if they have not been tested before and: They live in or regularly visit a house built before 1950,
- They live in or regularly visit a home built before 1978 with ongoing or recent renovations or remodeling
- They have a sibling or playmate who has or did have lead poisoning
- Frequently wash your child’s hands and toys to reduce contact with dust,
- Use cold tap water for drinking and cooking
- Avoid using home remedies (such as arzacon, greta, pay- loo-ah, or litargirio) and cosmetics (such as kohl or alkohl) that contain lead
- Certain candies, such as tamarindo candy jam products from
- Some tableware, mainly folk terra cotta plates and bowls from Latin America, may contain high levels of lead that can leach into food.
