Avoid Lead Exposure in Your Home

How to Lower Your Chances of Lead Exposure

Since lead can be airborne and found anywhere in your home, it is best to lower or minimize you and your family’s lead exposure and its hazardous effects. There are very simple steps to do this but basically it is to keep your home well-maintained and clean all the time. A well maintained home prevents lead exposure.

Avoid lead exposure in your home by taking these steps:

1. Frequently inspect and maintain all painted surfaces to prevent deterioration.
2. Repair water damage quickly and completely.
3. Always keep your home free from dust and sparkling clean.
4. Often clean around painted areas because friction can generate dust, specifically on doors, windows, and drawers. Use a wet sponge or a damp rag to remove paint chips or dust.
5. On preparing food, use only cold water to process food and drinks.
6. Always flush the water outlet that is used for food preparation.
7. Clean debris out of faucet aerators or outlet screens regularly.
8. Often wash children’s toys, pacifiers, bottles and hands.  Guide your children to remove their shoes and wipe them, then wash their hands after playing outdoors.  Ensure a well-balanced meal for the family. Children with healthy diets absorb fewer lead.
9. On home painting, renovation and repair activities, choose a contractor who is Lead-Safe Certified and make sure they follow lead safe work practice.

Lead poisoning home checklist to follow:

1. Was your home built before 1978?

Homes built from 1940 to 1960 or the majority of homes built before 1978 were found to contain lead-based paint and have a dangerous effect on the health of your children mostly under the age of six and on pregnant women. The condition of this paint has deteriorated and lead dust can be airborne.

2. Can you find walls, doors, window sills or furniture in your home that has peeling paint or chipping?

Lead-based paint is hazardous if it chips, cracks or peels off. Harmful lead can get airborne when doors, windows, rails, edges of staircases or on other painted surfaces wear off over time. If you own the house or have rented it, your landlord and you can hire a certified professional to check for lead. Be aware that it is children’s natural tendency to put their hands and other objects in their mouths that might be covered with lead dust, which can cause serious damage to their health.

3. Do children play in lead-contaminated soil around your home?

Soil around homes can be contaminated by lead-based paint from chips, dust, or paint flakes. While children can accidentally swallow this soil while playing outdoors, the soil can reach indoor through shoes, into the carpet and floors and eventually contact the children. Guide your children to remove and wipe their shoes after playing and then wash their hands.

4. Is your pottery imported and containing lead? Is it used for food storage?

Generally, imported dishware and pottery usually contain lead. Use this imported pottery merely for decoration, and keep food and drinks on other safe storage containers.

5. Do you work with lead in your job?

On your job, you can be exposed to lead if you are a painter, a construction worker, an iron worker, a cable splicer or vehicle radiator repair mechanic, a metal shop worker, a firearm’s instructor, a battery maker or a stained glass artist.

Working on lead-related industry requires you to change industry clothes before entering your home, wash your work clothes separately from the clothes you wear with your family and removing your shoes before entering your home.
Lead can be tracked indoors onto carpets, floors, and furniture, and eventually comes in contact with you and your family if you do not follow this simply guide. Be cautious and practice this system strictly to avoid lead exposure.