LEAD

LEAD

Lead has long been recognized as a harmful environmental
pollutant. In late 1991, the Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services called lead the number one
environmental threat to the health of children in the United
States. There are many ways in which humans are exposed to lead:
through air, drinking water, food, contaminated soil,
deteriorating paint, and dust. Airborne lead enters the body when
an individual breathes or swallows lead particles or dust once it
has settled. Before it was known how harmful lead could be, it
was used in paint, gasoline, water pipes, and many other
products.

Old lead based paint is the most significant source of lead
exposure in the U.S. today. Harmful exposures to lead can be
created when lead based paint is improperly removed from surfaces
by dry scraping, sanding, or open flame burning. High
concentrations of airborne lead particles in homes can also
result from lead dust from outdoor sources, including
contaminated soil tracked inside, and use of lead in certain
indoor activities such as soldering and stained glass making.

Health Effects of Exposure to Lead

Lead affects practically all systems within the body. At high
levels it can cause convulsions, coma, and even death. Lower
levels of lead can adversely affect the brain, central nervous
system, blood cells, and kidneys.

The effects of lead exposure on fetuses and young children
can be severe. They include delays in physical and mental
development, lower IQ levels, shortened attention spans, and
increased behavioral problems. Fetuses, infants, and children
are more vulnerable to lead exposure than adults since lead is
more easily absorbed into growing bodies, and the tissues of
small children are more sensitive to the damaging effects of
lead. Children may have higher exposures since they are more
likely to get lead dust on their hands and then put their fingers
or other lead contaminated objects into their mouths.

Get your child tested for lead exposure. To find out where to do
this, call your doctor or local health clinic. For more
information on health effects, get a copy of the Centers for
Disease Control s, Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children
(October 1991).

Ways to Reduce Exposure to Lead

Keep areas where children play as dust free and clean as
possible.

Mop floors and wipe window ledges and chewable surfaces such as
cribs with a solution of powdered automatic dishwasher detergent
in warm water. (Dishwasher detergents are recommended because of
their high content of phosphate.) Most multipurpose cleaners
will not remove lead in ordinary dust. Wash toys and stuffed
animals regularly. Make sure that children wash their hands
before meals, nap time, and bedtime.

Reduce the risk from lead based paint.

Most homes built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Some
homes built as recently as 1978 may also contain lead paint. This
paint could be on window frames, walls, the outside of homes, or
other surfaces. Do not burn painted wood since it may contain
lead.

Leave lead based paint undisturbed if it is in good condition do
not sand or burn off paint that may contain lead.

Lead paint in good condition is usually not a problem except in
places where painted surfaces rub against each other and create
dust (for example, opening a window).

Do not remove lead paint yourself.

Individuals have been poisoned by scraping or sanding lead paint
because these activities generate large amounts of lead dust.
Consult your state health or housing department for suggestions
on which private laboratories or public agencies may be able to
help test your home for lead in paint. Home test kits cannot
detect small amounts of lead under some conditions. Hire a
person with special training for correcting lead paint problems
to remove lead based paint. Occupants, especially children and
pregnant women, should leave the building until all work is
finished and cleanup is done.

For additional information dealing with lead based paint
abatement contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development
for the following two documents: Comprehensive and Workable Plan
for the Abatement of Lead Based Paint in Privately Owned Housing:
Report to Congress (December 7, 1990) and Lead Based Paint:
Interim Guidelines for Hazard Identification and Abatement in
Public and Indian Housing (September 1990).

Do not bring lead dust into the home.

If you work in construction, demolition, painting, with
batteries, in a radiator repair shop or lead factory, or your
hobby involves lead, you may unknowingly bring lead into your
home on your hands or clothes. You may also be tracking in lead
from soil around your home. Soil very close to homes may be
contaminated from lead paint on the outside of the building.
Soil by roads and highways may be contaminated from years of
exhaust fumes from cars and trucks that used leaded gas. Use door
mats to wipe your feet before entering the home. If you work with
lead in your job or a hobby, change your clothes before you go
home and wash these clothes separately. Encourage your children
to play in sand and grassy areas instead of dirt which sticks to
fingers and toys. Try to keep your children from eating dirt,
and make sure they wash their hands when they come inside.

Find out about lead in drinking water.

Most well and city water does not usually contain lead. Water
usually picks up lead inside the home from household plumbing
that is made with lead materials. The only way to know if there
is lead in drinking water is to have it tested. Contact the
local health department or the water supplier to find out how to
get the water tested. Send for the EPA pamphlet, Lead and Your
Drinking Water, for more information about what you can do if you
have lead in your drinking water. Call EPA s Safe Drinking Water
Hotline (8004264791) for more information.

Eat right.

A child who gets enough iron and calcium will absorb less lead.
Foods rich in iron include eggs, red meats, and beans. Dairy
products are high in calcium. Do not store food or liquid in
lead crystal glassware or imported or old pottery. If you reuse
old plastic bags to store or carry food, keep the printing on the
outside of the bag.

You can get a brochure, Lead Poisoning and Your Children,
and more information by calling the National Lead Information
Center, 800-LEAD-FYI.

Building a new home provides the opportunity for preventing
indoor air problems. However, it can result in exposure to
higher levels of indoor air contaminants if careful attention
is not given to potential pollution sources and the air exchange
rate.

Express your concerns about indoor air quality to your
architect or builder and enlist his or her cooperation in taking
measures to provide good indoor air quality. Talk both about
purchasing building materials and furnishings that are low
emitting and about providing an adequate amount of ventilation.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air
Conditioning Engineers recommends a ventilation rate of 0.35 ach
(air changes per hour) for new homes, and some new homes are
built to even tighter specifications. Particular care should be
given in such homes to preventing the buildup of indoor air
pollutants to high levels.

Here are a few important actions that can make a difference:

Use radon resistant construction techniques.

Obtain a copy of the EPA booklet, Radon Resistant Construction
Techniques for Residential Construction, from your state radon
office or health agency, your state homebuilders association, or
your EPA regional office.

Choose building materials and furnishings that will keep indoor
air pollution to a minimum.

There are many actions a homeowner can take to select products
that will prevent indoor air problems from occurring a couple of
them are mentioned here. First, use exterior grade pressed wood
products made with phenolformaldehyde resin in floors, cabinetry,
and wall surfaces. Or, as an alternative, consider using solid
wood products. Secondly, if you plan to install wall to wall
carpet on concrete in contact with the ground, especially
concrete in basements, make sure that an effective moisture
barrier is installed prior to installing the carpet. Do not
permanently adhere carpet to concrete with adhesives so that the
carpet can be removed if it becomes wet.

Provide proper drainage and seal foundations in new
construction.

Air that enters the home through the foundation can contain more
moisture than is generated from all occupant activities.

Become familiar with mechanical ventilation systems and consider
installing one.

Advanced designs of new homes are starting to feature mechanical
systems that bring outdoor air into the home. Some of these
designs include energy efficient heat recovery ventilators (also
known as air to air heat exchangers).

Ensure that combustion appliances, including furnaces,
fireplaces, wood stoves, and heaters, are properly vented and
receive enough supply air.

Combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, and particles can be
back drafted from the chimney or flue into the living space if
the combustion appliance is not properly vented or does not
receive enough supply air. Back drafting can be a particular
problem in weatherized or tightly constructed homes. Installing
a dedicated outdoor air supply for the combustion appliance can
help prevent back drafting.

Indoor air quality problems are not limited to homes. In fact,
many office buildings have significant air pollution sources.
Some of these buildings may be inadequately ventilated. For
example, mechanical ventilation systems may not be designed or
operated to provide adequate amounts of outdoor air. Finally,
people generally have less control over the indoor environment in
their offices than they do in their homes. As a result, there
has been an increase in the incidence of reported health
problems.