Prevent Lead Poisoning

Lead is a common substance both in homes and in the environment. People are exposed to lead daily through their paint, their pipes, their products, and even dirt and dust. Increased levels of lead in the blood can cause uncomfortable symptoms, damage to the kidneys, seizures, weakened brain activity or brain damage, and rarely death. Although anyone can be affected by lead poisoning, children under six years of age and low-income families have a greater risk.[1] It is easier to prevent lead poisoning than it is to reverse its effects, so care should always be taken to avoid excessive exposure to lead.

Steps

Identifying Risks in the Home

  1. Determine when your home was built. Extra precautions must be taken to avoid lead poisoning if your home was built before 1978. Risks of lead in older homes include paint and pipes.[2]
    • Find out when your home was built by looking at the ownership records. Your home’s title policy, title search, and purchase appraisal should all have the year the house was built on it.
    • If you do not have your home’s ownership documents, contact your county recorder’s office, which should have a deed and records for your property on file. Let the records clerk know, “I would like a copy of the deed to my house. Can you assist me?”
  2. Check for lead paint. Lead paint that is not chipping or cracking is not an immediate health risk. Still, even small amounts of lead can cause health problems. An inspection is necessary to determine if there is any lead-based paint on any surfaces in your home.
    • Contact a local inspection, risk assessment, and abatement firm to schedule an inspection for your home. US residents can find one through the EPA’s locational tool.[3]
    • The inspector will come to your home and sample all interior and exterior painted surfaces. Samples may be tested on site or in a certified lab using an X-ray fluorescence machine to determine if lead is present.[4]
    • If lead paint is found in your home, you will need to contact an abatement team to safely strip the paint and clear the house. Cover all lead-painted areas with tarps or other coverings while you await abatement.
  3. Inquire about lead pipes. Lead pipes may be found as the service line that brings water into your home from the public water main. To check to see if you have lead pipes, first locate your water meter, which may be inside or outside of your house.[5]
    • If your water meter is inside the house, it is likely in your basement, crawlspace, or garage. If it is outside of your house, it is probably on the sidewalk or in your yard with a cover that says “water meter.”
    • Walk the shortest path from your water meter to your house. This should show you where your pipe enters your home. Inside your home, the pipe should connect to a shut-off valve that may look like a lever, or a small wheel.
    • Check the pipe connected to the valve using a magnet. If a magnet will stick to it, then it is probably steel. If a magnet won’t stick to it, then it’s probably lead.
    • If you suspect you have lead pipes, contact an inspection and abatement team immediately to verify your findings and talk about replacement options.
  4. Check with your landlord. If you rent your home and you are concerned about lead where you live, contact your landlord and request a copy of a current lead risk reduction inspection. If your landlord does not have one, in many states you should be able to file a petition with your county to have the property inspected at cost to your landlord.[6]
    • In many states, landlords are required to perform risk reduction activities if lead hazards are found, which may include removing paint and updating pipes. These processes generally come at no cost to the renter, and are within your legal right to require from your landlord.

Avoiding Everyday Lead Poisoning

  1. Wash your hands frequently. Washing your hands regularly helps prevent hand-to-mouth transferring of soils or dust that may contain lead. Wash your hands with soap and water before putting them in or around your mouth.
    • Encourage your children to wash their hands after playing outside, as well as before meals.
    • Do not allow children to play directly in or with ground soil. Direct them toward a sandbox filled with sand meant for play, or provide them with gloves for activities like gardening.
  2. Drink cold tap water. Use cold tap water any time you go to the faucet to get water for consumption, especially if you have an older home. Use purified water or cold tap water when preparing infant formula and cooking.[7]
    • Older plumbing may contain lead, which is more likely to absorb into the water when it is warm.
    • If warm tap water must be used in a home with old plumbing, run cold water from the faucet for 2 minutes before switching to warm water.
  3. Clean dusty areas. Keep trace amounts of lead from accumulating as dust by regularly cleaning surfaces that are prone to getting dusty. Use a wet mop to wipe down floors, and a damp cloth to get furniture, tables, TV stands, window sills, and anywhere else that may need dusting.
    • If you know of a lead risk such as lead paint in your home, it may be advisable to wear a dust mask or surgical mask while dusting. These are available at most pharmacies and home improvement stores.
  4. Purchase lead-free products. Some items, such as toys, are required under US law to be lead-free. However, many items used in and around the home and office may have some lead in them. Whenever possible, opt to purchase lead-free products for yourself and your home.
    • Look for lead-free labels. Different certification groups, such as the CSA and UL, have different marks. Consult a guide to familiarize yourself with lead-free markings and text requirements.[8]
    • Check labels on cookware, utensils and food storage supplies very closely, as these could leach lead directly into your food. Avoid purchasing these items second-hand unless the lead-free label is still intact.
    • Regularly check toy recall lists and dispose of any toys that are shown to be contaminated with lead.
  5. Ask people to remove their shoes when they enter your home. The dirt that people track into your home on their shoes may have lead in it.[9] To avoid having this brought into your home, ask everyone in your household and anyone who visits to leave their shoes by the door. You might even provide a mat for people to place their shoes on.
  6. Maintain a healthy diet. Proper nutrition from regular meals may help reduce lead absorption. It is especially important to ensure that you and your family get the daily recommended amount of iron and calcium.
    • For children, the recommended amount of calcium is 200mg for the first six months, 260mg between six months and one year, 700mg between ages one and three, 1,000mg up to age eight, and 1,300mg up to age 18.[10]
    • For adults, the recommended amount of calcium is 1,000mg between ages 19 and 51, and 1,200mg from age 51 on.
    • For children, the recommended amount of iron is 0.27mg up to six months of age, 11mg for seven to twelve months, 7mg for children age one to three, 10mg for ages four to eight, 8mg for ages nine to thirteen, and 11 to 15mg for ages 14 to 18.[11]
    • For adults, the recommended amount of iron is 8mg for men and 18mg for women ages 19 to 50, and 8mg for all adults above age 50. Pregnant women require 27mg of iron daily.

Checking For and Treating Lead Poisoning

  1. Watch for symptoms of lead poisoning. If you think you or someone you know may have been exposed to lead, look for symptoms of lead poisoning. In infants these may include learning difficulties and slowed growth. In children and adults, symptoms include:
    • Memory loss.
    • Mood disorders.
    • Developmental delays or decline in mental function.
    • Constipation.
    • Vomiting.
    • High blood pressure.
    • Muscle pain.
    • Fatigue.
    • Headaches.
    • Loss of appetite or weight loss.
  2. Get a blood test. If you think that you or a family member may have lead poisoning, request a blood test.A doctor will administer the test. The test uses a blood sample to check for levels of lead within the body.[12]
    • Young children are routinely tested at well-child physician visits, but children over the age of six years and adults are not typically given the test unless requested.
    • Blood tests are particularly important if you think you or others in your home have inhaled, ingested, or otherwise been exposed to lead.
  3. Treat lead poisoning. Your doctor will be able to recommend proper treatment for lead poisoning. For those showing low levels of lead in the blood, avoiding exposure may be enough to reduce levels. For those with higher levels of lead in the blood, chelation therapy or EDTA therapy may be prescribed.[13]
    • Chelation therapy involves repeatedly taking a medication prescribed by your doctor, often during a hospital stay. The medication binds with the lead in your body, forcing you to excrete it during urination.[14] This therapy is appropriate for children and adults.
    • EDTA therapy is used to treat adults and some children with lead levels greater than 45 mcg/dL of blood. It is a form of chelation therapy, wherein a chemical known as EDTA is injected by IV into the body to extract lead.
  4. Remove the lead source. If you or someone in your house is diagnosed with lead poisoning, immediately contact an abatement specialist about removing or mitigating the lead source. This is necessary to keep lead levels in the body low after lead poisoning treatment.[15]
    • A specialist may recommend removal or covering of the lead, depending upon the circumstances. For example, sometimes it is more practical to cover uncracked or undamaged lead paint with a thick coat of new paint, rather than peeling away everything.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=7&po=7
  2. ↑ http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-out-house-built-6938.html
  3. ↑ https://cfpub.epa.gov/flpp/pub/index.cfm?do=main.firmSearchAbatement
  4. ↑ http://www.holmesinspection.com/lead_based_paint_testing.html
  5. ↑ https://apps.npr.org/find-lead-pipes-in-your-home/en/#intro
  6. ↑ https://www.peoples-law.org/lead-paint-law-rights-and-obligations-renters-and-property-owners#renters
  7. ↑ http://www.parents.com/baby/safety/lead-poisoning/ways-to-prevent-lead-poisoning/
  8. ↑ http://villageofalsip.org/Lead%20Free%20Certification%20Marks.pdf
  9. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/manage/ptc-20275081
  10. ↑ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
  11. ↑ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
  12. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20035487
  13. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/basics/treatment/con-20035487
  14. ↑ http://www.npr.org/2011/01/03/132474747/flushing-out-lead-metals-with-chelation-therapy
  15. ↑ https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/lead/renovation_repair_painting/encapsulants.htm

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