Are you at risk for lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning is a serious risk that can effect people, both young and old. Unfortunately, children stand a greater risk of contracting lead poisoning, largely because their bodies are still developing.
Protecting children, specifically, from exposure to lead is extremely important their lifelong good health. Even low levels of lead in blood have been evidenced to affect IQ, attention span, and academic achievement. Effects from lead exposure cannot be corrected.
Aside from lead paint testing, there are a number of measures can take in order to prevent lead exposure to children before they suffer any harm from lead. One of the best measures parents can take is to stop children from coming into contact with lead, by identifying and controlling or removing lead safely from a child’s environment.
Some other ways parents can prevent their children from lead exposure include:
- Talking to your state or local health department about testing paint and dust from your home for lead.
- Make sure children do not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.
- For housing built before 1978, restrict access to children and pregnant women.
- Create a barrier between living/play areas and sources of lead.
- Wash children’s hands and toys regularly.
- Wet-mop floors and wet-wipe window components on a regular basis.
- Provide children with sandboxes to prevent them from playing in bare soil.
Other measures parents can take to reduce their children’s exposure to lead from non-residential paint sources include:
- Avoidance of traditional folk medicine and cosmetics that contain lead,
- Do not allow children to put candles from Mexico in their mouths,
- Do not use containers, cook or tableware to store or cook foods or liquids, if they have not been proven to be lead free.
- Immediately remove recalled toys and toy jewelry from children.
- For drinking, cooking, and making baby formula, use only cold water. Hot water is more likely to contain higher levels of lead, since most of the lead in household water comes from the plumbing in your house.
- Shower and change clothes after completing work on tasks that involve working with lead-based products like stained glass, making bullets, or use at a firing range.
Children, however, are not the only ones at risk for lead toxicity. Adult exposure can also result in harmful health effects.
If you think you are at risk of lead poisoning, you should contact an experienced lead testing professional like Rarefied Air Environmental. Call us today for a free quote.
Read more about the dangers of lead-based paint: