Lead Poisoning

Chipping and peeling paint is the most common and dangerous source of lead for preschool children.

Lead from painted surfaces can enter a child's body completely undetected. This has been proven in scientific studies and, in everyday living, when parents, doctors and health agencies investigate the sources of lead a child has access to and how they become lead poisoned. Leaded paint naturally erodes to create a chalky dust and begins to chip and flake away from painted surfaces. The deteriorated leaded paint becomes part of the house dust and is inhaled by young children. The simple act of a child breathing in a leaded environment can begin the poisoning process. It is the reason why property owners and those responsible for property management and maintenance have a legal responsibility to keep their property free of chipping and peeling paint.

In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the manufacture and use of lead-based paint in residential housing. Unfortunately, the ban did not require removal of lead-based paint from surfaces previously coated with this dangerous neurotoxin. Today about 3 million tons of leaded paint remain in approximately 57 million occupied private housing units built prior to 1980. This represents approximately 74 percent of all such housing. Despite legislative efforts to preclude future use of lead-based paint, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has stated that corrective actions have been a complete failure.

In addition to paint, several lead sources in the home can endanger young children. These include:

• the home's water supply
• soil, ceramic cookware
• older cribs and toys

While these can contribute to a child's lead poisoning, we examine where our clients spent most of their time as infants. The answer is usually "at home" which further supports the medical and scientific fact that lead paint is the primary source for a child's lead poisoning.