Preventing Lead Poisoning in the Home

From lead based paint to contaminated clothing, there are a number of ways lead can get into your home. Lead poisoning can be extremely detrimental to your health but it is preventable. Often nothing is done to prevent lead contamination until someone gets sick, typically children, and the effects of lead poisoning can be lifelong.

Because children are more susceptible to lead poisoning, as a parent you have to examine your home and lifestyle to be sure you are safe. More than 10 million American children have lead poisoning and contamination usually occurs in the home. Learn how to identify lead in your home to stop contamination from affecting you or your children.

Lead contamination in the home can be caused by a number of things but the main culprits are lead based paint and lead pipes. Today, neither lead based paint or lead pipes are used in home construction, but before the 1980s it was quite common. The older your home is, the higher the risk is of lead poisoning. You can lower the risk significantly by replacing old windows and doors, and also by removing lead piping from your home.

If your home was built before 1978 you should hire a professional to test surfaces in your home, and the soil upon which it sits. If your home is found to contain dangerous amounts of lead you should have it professionally removed right away. It can be expensive to remove lead from the home, but it is well worth the cost considering the risks of lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning generally affects the major organs of the body, and can have devastating effects on the nervous system. Lead poisoning has been linked to behavioral problems, learning disabilities, birth defects, and seizures. If there is a large amount of lead in the bloodstream it can also cause other health problems like chronic headaches, nausea, muscle weakness, tooth decay, and can affect coordination skills.