Dangers of lead paint in your home

There are still homes built prior to 1978 that could have a lead paint hazard. The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978. Lead can be found: • In soil around a home. (Soil can pick up lead from exterior paint, or other sources such as past use of leaded gas in cars.) • Household dust. (Dust can pick up lead from deteriorating lead-based paint or from soil tracked into a home.) • Drinking water. Your home might have plumbing with lead or lead solder. Call your local health department or water supplier to find out about testing your water. You cannot see, smell, or taste lead, and boiling your water will not get rid of lead. If you think your plumbing might have lead in it: • The job. If you work with lead, you could bring it home on your hands or clothes. Shower and change clothes before coming home. Launder your work clothes separately from the rest of your family's clothes. • Old painted toys and furniture. • Food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain. • Lead smelters or other industries that release lead into the air. Lead from paint chips, which you can see, and lead dust, which you can't always see, can be serious hazards. Peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking lead-based paint is a hazard and needs immediate attention. Lead-based paint may also be a hazard when found on surfaces that children can chew or that get a lot of wear-and-tear. These areas include: Windows and window sills, Doors and door frames, Stairs, railings, and banisters and Porches and fences. Lead dust can form when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded, or heated. Dust also forms when painted surfaces bump or rub together. Lead chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that people touch. Settled lead dust can re-enter the air when people vacuum, sweep, or walk through it. Lead in soil can be a hazard when children play in bare soil or when people bring soil into the house on their shoes. Contact the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) to find out about testing soil for lead. If you suspect that your house has lead hazards, you can take some immediate steps to reduce your family's risk: If you rent, notify your landlord of peeling or chipping paint. Clean up paint chips immediately. Clean floors, window frames, window sills, and other surfaces weekly. Use a mop, sponge, or paper towel with warm water and a general all-purpose cleaner or a cleaner made specifically for lead. REMEMBER: NEVER MIX AMMONIA AND BLEACH PRODUCTS TOGETHER SINCE THEY CAN FORM A DANGEROUS GAS. Thoroughly rinse sponges and mop heads after cleaning dirty or dusty areas. Wash children's hands often, especially before they eat and before nap time and bed time. Keep play areas clean. Wash bottles, pacifiers, toys, and stuffed animals regularly. Keep children from chewing window sills or other painted surfaces. Clean or remove shoes before entering your home to avoid tracking in lead from soil. Make sure children eat nutritious, low-fat meals high in iron and calcium, such as spinach and dairy products. Children with good diets absorb less lead. In addition to day-to-day cleaning and good nutrition: You can temporarily reduce lead hazards by taking actions such as repairing damaged painted surfaces and planting grass to cover soil with high lead levels. These actions (called "interim controls") are not permanent solutions and will need ongoing attention. To permanently remove lead hazards, you must hire a certified lead "abatement" contractor. Abatement (or permanent hazard elimination) methods include removing, sealing, or enclosing lead-based paint with special materials. Just painting over the hazard with regular paint is not enough. Always hire a person with special training for correcting lead problems--someone who knows how to do this work safely and has the proper equipment to clean up thoroughly. Certified contractors will employ qualified workers and follow strict safety rules set by their state or the federal government. Contact the National Lead Information Center(NLIC) for help with locating certified contractors in your area and to see if financial assistance is available.

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