Preventing Exposure to Lead

If your home was built before 1978, assume it has lead paint unless tests prove otherwise. Lead paint can be found both inside and outside the home, and is especially common on window and door frames. The biggest concern is when the paint chips or peels, creating lead dust.

Find Out if Your Home Has Lead Paint

The only way to know for sure if a home has lead paint is to have it tested. There are two types of tests:

• Lead Inspection: Every surface of the home is checked to see if has lead paint
• Risk Assessment: Identifies surfaces with lead paint and how likely they are to be a source of exposure. It may also include testing dust, water, and soil

Depending on the type of the test and the size of the home, these tests can range from about $600-1500. If a child has a confirmed blood lead levels of 3.5 µg/dL  or above, the ACHD can perform a risk assessment for free. Call the Housing Division at 412-350-4046 for more information.

For more information on lead inspections versus risk assessments, please visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. To hire a lead inspector or risk assessor to come and test the paint in a home, visit the EPA database of certified local firms in your area.

• Maintenance
  • Regularly check for any chipped or peeling paint, and repair it with lead-safe practices as soon as possible
  • Repairs that aren’t done correctly can create lead dust that can be spread throughout the house. For DIY work, visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Do-It-Yourself page. If you’re hiring someone, make sure they’re EPA-certified to work with lead
  • Children and pregnant people should not be present while repairs or renovation are being done
• Cleaning
  • Wash hands after touching damaged paint
  • Once a week, use soap and water to wash flat surfaces like windowsills, tables, and bookshelves. Pay extra attention to place children can reach. Do not use a duster or dry cloth, which can spread lead dust
  • Keep floors clean by using a wet mop or a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Do not use a broom, which can spread lead dust. If you want to use a Swiffer, use a Swiffer Dry cloth followed by a Swiffer Wet—the dry cloths use static to gather dust, so they don’t spread it like a broom would.
  • After mopping, dump the dirty water down the toilet, not into the sink. When emptying a vacuum, be careful not to let dust get into the air. Change Swiffer cloths regularly and be careful when carrying them and throwing them away
  • Wash objects regularly, especially children’s toys. Use a wipe or soapy water to clean hard objects, and put soft objects in the washing machine
• Healthy Habits
  • Keep kids away from damaged paint
  • Keep play areas away from doorways and windows, which are hot spots for lead dust
  • Make sure everyone washes their hands regularly, especially before eating and after playing or working outside
  • Try to keep kids from putting things in their mouths, including their fingers
  • Avoid playgrounds where the equipment has chipped paint

Lead can get into soil from old house paint or car exhaust from back when gasoline contained lead. People and pets can then track this soil into the house. It can also affect plants grown in your garden.

Keep Your Family Safe

• Check the Paint: If the paint on the outside of your house is chipped or peeling, the dust will settle on the dirt around it. If the paint contains lead, you’ll want to get it fixed as soon as possible. See the pages on Lead Information for Homeowners and Lead Information for Landlords and Tenants for information on repairs
• Test the Soil: Consider having the soil tested by a lab. Penn State Extension and UMass Amherst’s Soil and Plant Testing Lab are two options. (Note: These organizations are not affiliated with the ACHD)
• Wash Your Hands: Everyone should wash their hands after playing or working outside
• Keep Shoes, Feet, and Paws Clean: Have everyone take off their shoes before coming inside, wash any bare feet, and wipe your pet’s paws to avoid tracking in lead dust
• Watch Where Kids Play: Don’t let them play in bare soil, empty lots, near abandoned houses, or alongside roads
• Cover Bare Soil: Use grass, mulch, or rocks to cover any patches of bare soil. If it can’t be covered, create barriers to keep children and pets out
• Garden Safely
  • Use raised beds lined with landscape fabric and filled with soil that is known to be lead-free
  • Wash food thoroughly before eating
  • Try to keep gardens away from areas where lead tends to be highest, which is along the outside walls of the house or near roads
  • Add organic matter to your soil, keep the pH level balanced, and use composts rich in phosphorous—this helps the plants take up less lead
  • Don't compost plants grown in lead-contaminated soil
  • Choose plants where you don’t eat the roots or leaves, since that’s where lead tends to concentrate: tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, corn, cucumber, melon, and squash are all good options
  • Avoid leafy plants and root vegetables, like collard greens, spinach, lettuce, kale, carrots, beets, potatoes, or parsnips

Many homes have lead pipes or plumbing, which could result in lead getting into your water. Well water can also be contaminated.

Check for Lead

• Call your water company: Ask if your home is connected to lead service lines. If you live within the city of Pittsburgh, PWSA has made significant progress in replacing lead lines
• Check your pipes: Use a coin to scratch the pipe that comes through the wall and into the water meter. If it is shiny, hard, and orange in color, then it is likely copper. If it is gray/silver and soft, it may be lead. Find more information about identifying your pipes
• Test the water: You can buy a kit at most hardware or large convenience stores 

Keep Your Family Safe

If your water is contaminated by lead, take the following precautions:

• Use an NSF-approved water filter: Use only filtered water for drinking and cooking. Unfiltered water is fine for showering and washing dishes
• Use cold water: If you must use tap water for eating or drinking, only use cold water, as hot water can dissolve more lead. Pregnant people and children should only drink filtered or bottled water
• Flush your pipes: If the water hasn’t been used for a few hours, let it run for 2-3 minutes before using it
• Use bottled water for young children: Baby formula should be made with bottled water
• Replace lead service lines: We recommend lead service lines be replaced, but only if a complete replacement is an option. Partial replacements can increase the level of lead in the water for several months

Complete vs Partial Line Replacement

The picture below shows a typical service line setup for a single family home. The public water main is the larger pipe that brings water from the larger system. Once that pipe reaches the sidewalk outside a home, it connects to a service line that brings water to the home. Part of this service line is on public property, which means it’s the water company’s responsibility. The rest of the service line is on the homeowner’s property, making it their responsibility.

Because of this, the water company may want to replace just their side of the service line, leaving the rest as is, which is called a partial replacement. We encourage people to replace lead service lines, but only when a complete replacement can be performed.

For more information read the Partial Line Replacement Information Sheet.

We all use many products in our daily lives, but we don’t usually know where each part of those products comes from or how they’re made. Products bought in a retail store are usually safe thanks to regulations and inspections, and can be recalled if any issues are found. But older items and things bought outside the US or directly from an individual usually aren’t tested.

Lead used to be common in products made in the US, and still is in some countries. Products can also be contaminated accidentally.

Lead can also be found in many natural remedies or culturally significant items. Sometimes it is the main ingredient, such as with kohl or azarcon, while other times it’s a source of contamination.

For more information about the types of products that are most commonly affected, see the Lead Sources page.

Keep Your Family Safe

• Don’t let kids play with or touch anything known to contain lead
• Be extra careful about anything that goes in the mouth or on the skin, especially for children
• Regularly check the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Recall Site for the latest recalls

Many jobs and hobbies can involve exposure to lead, especially ones involving construction or metal work. For example, working with electronics, jewelry, or stained glass often involves solder, which is usually made of lead. See the Lead Sources page for a list of some common examples.

It’s important to know that lead dust can stick to clothes, skin, and hair. This means that if one member of the family is exposed to lead, they can accidentally bring some of it home.

Keep Your Family Safe

• Follow workplace rules: These can include things like changing clothes or showering before leaving work
• Change clothes: If you can’t change at work, remove shoes and clothing before going into living areas (in a garage, basement, or mudroom if possible)
• Shower if needed: If you may have lead dust on your hair or skin, shower before leaving work or as soon as you get home
• Wash work clothes separately: Don’t put work or hobby clothes with the rest of the laundry
• Wash your hands: Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face or anything that goes into your mouth, like food or cigarettes
• Keep materials out of living spaces: Store work and hobby materials away from where you and your family spend time, and make sure to keep them away from children
• Be mindful of dust: Don’t try to remove dust from clothing or objects by shaking or blowing on them. This can spread lead dust into the air and onto other surfaces

If your job involves known exposure to lead, it’s subject to OSHA rules on safety and precautions. This includes things like proper training, clear communication and signage, exposure limits, respiratory protection, protective clothing that is clean and well-maintained, spaces to change clothes and shower, clean workspaces and facilities, and medical protection in the event of elevated blood lead levels. If you feel these rules are not being followed, see OSHA’s page on Worker Rights and Protections.