Healthy Homes: Lead Paint

This is the 4th post in our series on Healthy Homes.

Lead poisoning is a serious health threat, especially for children, so it is important to know if your home has lead paint in or around it. If there is lead paint in your home, children can be poisoned easily. Bits of paint too small to see can chip off windows, doors, and walls, creating dust.

Even though laws have been passed to ban lead paint in household paint, many older homes still have lead in them.

Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself and your children from lead poisoning. If your home was built before 1978, you should have it tested. The local or state health department can tell you how to do this.

If you discover there is lead in your home, don’t try to remove it on your own. Contact your local or state health department to find a certified lead paint removal company.

Here are some other tips for protecting your children from lead:

• Wash your children’s hands and faces often, and especially before they eat.
• Don’t let children chew on windowsills. Keep cribs away from windowsills and walls.
• When you haven’t used water for a few hours or overnight, let the cold water run for a few minutes before using it again. This clears out any water that may have collected lead while sitting in the pipes.
• Have soil tested for lead.
• If someone in your home works with lead, make sure they shower and change clothes and shoes before coming inside. Wash those clothes by themselves. They can bring the lead home in their clothes.

Have you ever tested your home for lead? Let us know if you have found lead in your home and what steps you take to keep your family healthy!

Thanks to the United States Department of Agriculture and the Healthy Homes Initiative for providing these tips. Check back tomorrow for more tips on healthy homes!