Simple Steps to Protect Your Family From Lead Hazards
Check out the EPA site for additional information on Lead
Paint here > EPA
If you think your home has high levels of
lead:
- Get your young children tested for lead, even if they seem
healthy
- Wash children's hands, bottles, pacifiers, and toys often
- Make sure children eat healthy, low-fat foods
- Get your home checked for lead hazards
- Regularly clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces
- Wipe soil off shoes before entering house
- Talk to your landlord about fixing surfaces with peeling or
chipping paint
- Take precautions to avoid exposure to lead dust when
remodeling or renovating (call 1-800-424-LEAD for guidelines)
- Don't use a belt-sander, propane torch, dry scraper, or dry
sandpaper on painted surfaces that may contain lead
- Don't try to remove lead-based paint
Sellers Rights and
Responsibilities:
Your Rights and Responsibilities Under the new title X
Federal Regulations sellers and lessors of pre-1978 residential dwellings must disclose
the presence of known lead-based paint to prospective buyers or tenants. Purchasers are
entitled to a 10-day period to conduct a lead-based paint inspection at their own expense.
Do I Need a Lead-Based Paint
Inspection/Risk Assessment?
There are two primary reasons for considering a lead
inspection/risk assessment:
- Health effects related to exposure to lead. Children under
the age of 6 are considered to be at the greatest risk of lead poisoning. Ingesting even
small amounts of lead-based paint or dust can cause serious health effects.
- The market value and marketability of your home may be
adversely affected by the presence of lead-based paint. Testing prior to purchase will
enable you to invest wisely and take the steps necessary to enhance the resale value of
your property.
Why is Lead Dangerous?
If not detected early, children with high levels of lead in
their bodies can suffer from:
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity)
- Slowed growth
- Hearing problems
- Headaches
People Can Get Lead in their Bodies
if They:
- Put their hands or other objects covered with lead dust in
their mouths
- Eat paint chips or soil that contain lead
- Breathe in lead dust (especially during renovations that
disturb painted surfaces)
Lead is even more dangerous to children than adults because
Babies and young children often put their hands and other objects in their mouths. These
objects can have lead dust on them. Children's growing bodies absorb more lead. Children's
brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.
Check out the EPA site for additional information on Lead
Paint here > EPA |
