Where to Find Lead Paint

It was big news last week when toy giant Mattel recalled 83 types of toys—967,000 items on the shelves—because of their paint containing excessive amounts of lead. This is in addition to the June recall by RC2 Corporation of 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and parts due to the same problem.

Current U.S. regulations allow for no more than 0.06 percent of lead in a product for children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 1978 there were 13.5 million children in the United States with elevated blood lead levels (i.e., 10µg/dl). By 2002, that number had dropped to 310,000 kids.

Children’s brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. If not detected early, children with high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from effects like damage to the brain and nervous system, behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity), slowed growth, hearing problems and headaches.

Since the 1980’s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its federal partners have phased out lead in gasoline, reduced lead in drinking water, reduced lead in industrial air pollution, and banned or limited lead used in consumer products, including residential paint. But parents should still be aware of sources of lead that may be found in or around their home.

Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint. The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978. Some states stopped its use even earlier.

Where do you find lead paint?

• In homes in the city, country, or suburbs.
• In apartments, single-family homes, and both private and public housing.
• Inside and outside of the house.
• 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:
    • Use only cold water for drinking and cooking.
    • Run water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if you have not used your water for a few hours.
• 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.
• Hobbies that use lead, such as making pottery or stained glass, or refinishing furniture.
• Folk remedies that contain lead, such as “greta” and “azarcon” used to treat an upset stomach.

The EPA offers simple steps that save children from hazards around the home

1. Always store pesticides and other household chemicals, including chlorine bleach, out of children’s reach — preferably in a locked cabinet.
2. Always read directions carefully. Pesticide products, household cleaning products, and pet products can be “dangerous” or ineffective if too much or too little is used.
3. Before applying pesticides or other household chemicals, remove children and their toys, as well as pets, from the area. Keep children and pets away until the pesticide has dried or as long as is recommended on the label.
4. If your use of a pesticide or other household chemical is interrupted (perhaps by a phone call), properly reclose the container and remove it from children’s reach. Always use household products in child-resistant packaging.
5. Never transfer pesticides to other containers that children may associate with food or drink (like soda bottles), and never place rodent or insect baits where small children can get to them.
6. When applying insect repellents to children, read all directions first; do not apply over cuts, wounds or irritated skin; do not apply to eyes, mouth, hands or directly on the face; and use just enough to cover exposed skin or clothing, but do not use under clothing.
7. Wash children’s hands, bottles, pacifiers and toys often, and regularly clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces to reduce potential exposure to lead dust.
8. Get your child tested for lead if you suspect he or she has been exposed to lead in either your home or neighborhood.
9. Inquire about lead hazards. When buying or renting a home or apartment built before 1978, the seller or landlord is now required to disclose known lead hazards.
10. If you suspect that lead-based paint has been used in your home or if you plan to remodel or renovate, get your home tested. Do not attempt to remove lead paint yourself. Call 1-(800)-424-LEAD for guidelines.

For more information, check out EPA’s publication Lead in Your Home: A Parent’s Reference Guide.