Hunting out Lead in the Home
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- November
- 21
Lead contamination seems to be a problem that just doesn’t go away. The 1970s saw lead removed from home paints, its elimination from gasoline, and its banning from paint used on children’s toys.
 But the series of recalled toys and other products in recent months shows that lead remains a issue for just about everyone with children, who are most susceptible to this toxic metal.
Until recently, the biggest worry with lead was for those young children living in older homes who might be exposed to old, chipping paint containing lead. As usual, those most affected are the children of the poor living in substandard housing.
Learning and behavioral problems are the biggest concerns connected to lead exposure in kids followed by possible damage to brains, kidneys, and other organs.
 Even though our children are exposed to lower levels of lead than in the 1960s, what’s considered safe levels of lead also is dropping. The safey standard is one-sixth what it was in the 1960s, and a further strengthening of the standard is considered.
 There are some things you can do to reduce your children’s lead exposure and that of all children. Here are a few websites that can help you get a better grip on the problem:
*Get a good overview on lead from the New York State Health Department.
*This webpage from Consumer Reports looks at the latest lead scare and includes an asessment of home testing kits for lead.
*Track down recalled toys from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, November 21st, 2007 at 6:00 am by Len Maniace.
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I must confess, I’ve never considered lead paint a big problem as long as there’s no peeling paint in the house.
I am pretty sure my house has lead paint in it. It was built in 1940 during the period when lead paint was extensively used. I’m sure none of it is exposed, so I don’t intend to do anything about it. Dealing with it would be a nightmare.
When I bought my house, I signed some sort of lead paint waiver. In theory, I had a right to require that the house be checked for lead paint, and the paint removed by the old owner. In reality, had I tried to exercise that right, she’d have sold the house to somebody else.
I wonder what the next big scare will be, after lead and asbestos. Probably something very common that we think nothing of using today.