Lead Poison Prevention

Lead is a toxic metal used in a variety of products and materials.  When lead is absorbed into the body.  It can cause damage to the central nervous system and vital organs like the brain, kidneys, nerves and blood cells. 

 

Symptoms of lead poisoning include headaches, stomachaches, nausea, tiredness, and irritability, which may also occur with the flu and some viruses.  Lead can also harm children without causing obvious symptoms.  Children and the elderly suffer the greatest damage from lead poisoning.

• Lead-Based Paint

• Lead in Consumer Products

• Lead in Water

Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint.

 

3.8 million homes in the United States have peeling or chipping lead-based paint or high levels of lead in dust.

 

Infants, children under six, and pregnant women should have their blood tested for lead.

 

In the United States, children from poor families are eight times more likely to get lead poisoned.

 

Both inside and outside the home, old, deteriorated paint releases lead which mixes with dust and soil.  Children who ingest lead or lead dust by putting their hands into their mouths, by eating paint chips, or by playing in lead-contaminated soil may become poisoned.  

 

To download a flyer for a free, Lead Safe Renovation, Repair & Painting Workshop, click here.

Even though the health effects of lead are well known, it is still used to make some clothes, toys, jewelry and ceramics.  To avoid lead exposure resulting from having these products in your home we encourage you to stay abreast of news about product recalls.  Below are links to government websites that can help you do so:

 

Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov or 1-800-638-2772

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/lead or 1-800-424-LEAD

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, www.fda.gov or 1-888-INFO-FDA

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov or 1-800-311-3435

Measures taken during the last two decades have greatly reduced exposures to lead in tap water. These measures include actions taken under the 1986 and 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/sdwa.html and the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule http://www.epa.gov/safewater/leadcop.html.

 

Even so, lead still can be found in some metal water taps, interior water pipes, or pipes connecting a house to the main water pipe in the street also known as the service line.  Lead found in tap water usually comes from the corrosion of older fixtures or from the solder that connects pipes. When water sits in leaded pipes for several hours, lead can leach into the water supply.  How do you know if your tap water is contaminated with lead?  Have it tested. You cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water.  For homes served by public water systems, data on lead in tap water may be available on the internet from your local water authority.

Housing Counseling Services
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Washington, DC  20009
Phone: (202) 667-7006