Keeping Your Home Lead Safe

Did you know?

Most children are poisoned by swallowing lead dust from hand-to-mouth activity. Pregnant women exposed to lead can also transfer it to their fetus.

Lead dust can be found on surfaces that rub against each other and subject to wear and tear like doors, windows, porches, and floors.

Lead dust can also be tracked into a home, and is often present in exposed soil that was contaminated by leaded gasoline, peeling paint, or air pollution.

Adults that work around lead may be exposed or bring lead home.

Learn About Lead Exposure and its Effects

What can you do to prevent lead poisoning?

As a property owner, there are several actions you can take to reduce lead hazards in the home​:

• It is important to take the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) class prior to doing any renovation in a pre-1978 home. RRP class will teach you how to use lead safe work practices. There are free RPP classes at the Lead Safe Resource Center, for property owners or those with handyperson experience.
• Maintain the home by keeping the paint in-tact, making repairs regularly or when necessary.
• Repair leaks immediately, could lead to deteriorated paint and create a lead hazard​.
• Cover bare soil with mulch or grass​.
• Regularly check for deteriorated painted surfaces​.
• Cover or paint porches​ using lead safe work practices
• Clean up lead dust using HUD cycle cleaning methods at unit turnover or after work is completed.

For residents, if you live in a home older than 1978, there are other actions you can take to protect yourself and your children:

1. Wash your child’s hands often and before eating and toys, including bottles, pacifiers, or other things they may put in their mouth.
2. Regularly clean floors, windowsills, and dusty places with wet mops or wet cloths to pick up any dust. It is important to use two buckets, one for soap and one for rinsing.
3. Remove shoes at the front door or before entering the home.
4. Remove work clothes before wearing them throughout the house, for any household member who does construction or other work that may involve lead..
5. Look for chipping or peeling paint in homes built before 1978. If renting, report it to the property owner so repairs can be made. To find out more about repairing peeling paint safely, contact the Lead Safe Resource Center
6. Be careful doing renovations or work that disturbs paint. If you are doing work that disturbs paint, you may want to hire an RRP contractor who is certified by the EPA.
7. Do not allow children or pets to play in bare soil.
8. Ensuring a healthy diet with five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and foods containing iron, calcium and Vitamin D are beneficial. Foods such as eggs, milk, or alternatives like almonds, beans, lean meat, fish, yogurt, cheese. If a child is malnourished, the body mistakes the lead for calcium and iron. In this case, more lead could be ingested by the body.

HOW CAN YOU TEST IF YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED TO LEAD?

• Children should be tested at age 1 and 2, or up to age 6 if no previous test has been completed.
• All children living in high risk zip codes and all children insured through Medicaid should have a venous (blood draw) or capillary (finger prick) test completed at 12 and 24 months and up to age 6 if no previous test has been done.
• If your child obtains a finger prick tests, the test must be confirmed by a second prick or one venous draw. A blood test is the only way to know if a child is lead poisoned.

Learn About Getting Your Child Tested