Safety and prevention

Understanding lead poisoning

Sources of lead and safety tips

Lead-based paint
Lead was added to many household paints until 1978. It is important to realize that if lead paint is intact (not peeling or chipping), it is usually NOT a lead hazard if left alone. However, young chidren can put their mouths on surfaces such as window ledges or railings, which may be hazardous. Edges of doors or windows that rub and scrape can create lead dust or loose paint chips in the home.

Deteriorating, blistering or peeling lead paint is a significant problem that requires expert advice for removal. Children and pregnant women should not live in a house while lead paint is being removed. Until expert help can be obtained, practice these short-term safety procedures:

Safety tips:

• For short-term safety, cover small areas of blistering or peeling paint with self-stick contact paper.
• Place furniture in front of larger areas of blistering or peeling paint to reduce contact with children.
• Clean up loose lead paint chips and dust. Spray the chips and dust with a detergent and warm water mixture. Using disposable rags or paper towels, wipe the area clean, throw out the rags in a plastic bag and seal the bag before putting it in the garbage. Make sure children do not have access to it. A tack cloth, available in hardware stores, is also useful for removing loose paint chips.
• Using a household cleaning solution or a cleaner made especially for lead dust clean up, such as Ledisolv, wet mop floors and wash window sills, ledges and other surfaces. Use at least two buckets, one to rinse and one to clean. You can also use a third bucket in which to wring the mop if desired. Change the water often. Dispose of dirty water safely. Down the toilet is usually a good place.
• Do NOT use a regular vacuum to remove loose lead dust or paint chips. The exhaust spreads the lead through the air, making the problem worse.

Lead dust in the home
A home can become contaminated with lead dust in a number of ways.

• Peeling, chipping, rubbing or any deteriorating lead-based paint that breaks down and mixes with household dust becomes lead dust.
• Lead dust carried into the home on clothes and on shoes of people who work with lead-contaminated materials can create a lead hazard. This may happen with construction workers, painters, auto mechanics, industrial workers and others.
• Lead-contaminated soil that is carried into the house by shoes and feet and pets may present a lead hazard.
• Safety tips:
• Make sure children wash and dry their hands before snacks, meals, after playing in the yard or on the floor and at bedtime.
• Regularly wash toys, pacifiers, bottles and other objects that are carried around or dropped on the floor.

Toys
Toys in the mouth can be a source of lead for young children if they are coated with lead dust. Older toys and playground equipment may have been painted with lead paint. Sand in a sandbox may contain lead if taken from a contaminated area. Sometimes young children get hold of collectible toys that contain lead, such as pewter figures, which are intended for older children. Other objects used for play may include fishing sinkers and batteries.

Safety tips:

• Wash toys frequently.
• Make sure batteries are secure in toys, and keep loose batteries out of reach of children.
• Get play sand only from a clean source.
• Throw away suspicious older toys. Do not donate them to charity.
• Be wary of giving young children old toys passed down through the generations.

Soil
Dirt in a play area or yard can become contaminated with lead if the home has deteriorating lead paint on it or if lead paint was sanded or scraped off at some time in the past. Play areas near a busy road may be contaminated with residual lead from car exhaust when leaded gas was used. Lead never decomposes or goes away. It must be removed or covered to prevent exposure from soil lead.

Safety tips:

• Make sure children wash and dry hands when coming in from play.
• Have children play in grassy, covered areas, not near bare soil.
• Unless the levels of lead are extremely high, bare soil areas may be made safer by planting grass or a ground cover. Sometimes, materials such as crushed stone are effective. Planting shrubs will help remind children not to play in an area near the foundation of the house or other contaminated areas.
• Only a qualified expert should remove soil that contains high levels of lead.

Home renovations
Any time lead-based paint is dry sanded, scraped, burned or blasted, poisonous lead dust and fumes are sent into the air. Removing lead paint requires expert advice.

Safety tips:
Children and pregnant women should not live in a house while lead paint is being removed and should only return when all traces of lead paint and lead dust have been cleaned up. Professionals should determine when lead dust is at a safe level.

Anytime you repair a small area of lead-based paint, wet the area with a spray solution before scraping or removing any loose paint. Follow the safety tips for lead-based paint.

Drinking water
Until 1986, lead solder was used by plumbers to connect water pipes. It is the most common source of lead in drinking water. Fortunately, unless a water softener is used in the home, most of this solder has been covered with mineral deposits. Small amounts of lead can leach into a home water supply as it sits overnight in a plumbing system. Rarely, an older home (pre-1900s) will have a lead pipe in use somewhere. Private wells may have a lead component in the pumps they use. Some brass faucets also contain lead.

Safety tips:

• Always use cold tap water for cooking and drinking, especially if you are mixing infant formula, drinks or food for children.
• If you haven't used a faucet for more than four to six hours, flush the old water out of the system for a few minutes until the water gets cold.
• If you are concerned about your water supply, have your water tested. Ask your water company for advice.

Food
Though lead in foods is not common in most areas of the U.S., there remain a few sources of lead in food, including:

• Lead used in solder to seal canned foods. (Lead solder for canned goods was banned in the U.S., but watch for imported canned goods.)
• Lead in dishes, especially when used for food storage. Some pottery and ceramic pieces of china, especially imported ones and ones using low temperature fired glazing, may be a source. Lead crystal may be hazardous if food or drinks are stored in them. Antique pewter may also contain lead.
• Vegetables or fruits grown in lead-contaminated soil may present a hazard.
• Safety tips:
• Never store food or drinks in dishes or containers that may contain lead.
• Enough calcium and iron in the diet seems to help decrease the amount of lead the body takes in.
• Foods high in calcium include: milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables and canned salmon and sardines with bones.
• Foods high in iron include: beef, pork, liver, chicken, turkey, peanut butter, tuna fish, egg yolks, dark green leafy vegetables, iron-enriched cereals and cooked dried bean.

Vinyl mini blinds
Nonglossy, imported, inexpensive blinds purchased prior to July 1996 may contain lead that can become lead dust over time.

Safety tips:

• Kits to determine whether there may be lead in your blinds can be purchased at home building supply stores. You can also have them tested at a laboratory that does such testing.
• Replace or remove blinds containing lead, particularly if you have young children in the home.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission monitors products for lead content when that product is being sold for use in a manner involving children. Announcements are made by them through the media when a widely used product, such as mini-blinds, has been identified. Be aware of these safety alerts and stay informed of new lead sources.

Occupations and hobbies connected with lead contamination
A number of jobs and hobbies produce lead contamination, which is then brought home on the clothes, skin and hair of the worker. Radiator repair, painting, construction work, brass foundry work and other industries use lead in their product. Hobbies that may use lead are stained glass making, jewelry making and artistic painting.

Safety tips:

• Remove contaminated clothes and shoes outside of the home.
• Shower before entering the house or at least before using the furniture or hugging your children.
• Keep hobby activities well away from young children.

For treatment information, see Yale-New Haven Lead Program and Regional Treatment Center.

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Reviewed: David Schonfeld, MD, August 1999
Last revised: May 10, 2007 (dh)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.