Our Valuable and Vulnerable Kids The toxic truth.
Lead is a highly toxic substance that was banned for use in paint in 1978. Nationally, about 890,000 children under age 6 have excessive lead levels in their blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why is that Bad?The facts:
Threats to children and babies include irreversible brain damage, impaired mental functioning, retarded mental and physical development, and reduced attention span.
Lead poisoning can also retard fetal development even at extremely low levels. But it's not just children who are endangered... it can cause nerve damage and reproductive problems in adults... so it's everyone, including homeowners, home sellers and homebuyers who MUST know the dangers of lead and what to do about it.
Older Homes are Riskier How old is your home?
The older your home, the likelier it is to have lead in paint. Heavily leaded paint is found in: two-thirds of the homes built before 1940, one-half of the homes built from 1940 to 1960, and some homes built after 1960 (according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development-HUD). It may also be present in drinking water from solder in household plumbing or municipal water supplies.
It's Just Beneath the Surface Take a look.
Lead may be on any surface inside or outside, particularly on woodwork, doors, and windows. Young children can get lead poisoning by eating paint chips. Anyone can get it from ingesting or inhaling lead dust from deteriorating paint, or when it is removed or disturbed during remodeling.
That Sheds Some Light on an Insidious Household Danger
So now you know WHAT it is, WHY it's bad, and WHERE it can be found. Want to know what to DO about it?
Page 2 of 8
