Preventing Exposure to Lead

If a house was built before 1978, there is a high chance that it contains lead-based paint. Lead-based paint can be found on both the interior and exterior of the home. When lead-based paint is in good, sound condition it is not a hazard. Lead paint only becomes a problem when it starts breaking down, flaking, or deteriorating.

There are many things that can be done to prevent exposure and ingestion of lead-based paint and dust.

For housing built before 1978, it should be assumed that any paint has lead in it unless tests prove that it is lead-free.

The two most common types of lead testing are lead inspections and risk assessments:

Lead Inspection is a surface-by-surface investigation to determine if there is lead-based paint in the house and where it is located. A lead inspection does not identify active lead hazards, but simply the presence of lead. This type of inspection is more useful prior to purchasing or renovating a home and for identifying potential sources of a child’s lead exposure.

Risk Assessment is an investigation to determine the presence, type, severity, and location of lead-based paint hazards. Environmental samples, which are samples of dust, water, and soil, may be taken as part of a risk assessment and processed at a lab. This type of inspection is more helpful in determining sources of a child’s current lead exposure. It can also assist in identifying steps that can be taken to reduce exposure.

For more information on lead inspections versus risk assessments, please visit the EPA’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.

The cost of a Lead Inspection or Risk Assessment can range from approximately $600-$1500, depending on the size of the home and what the inspection includes. This number can vary greatly depending on the services performed.

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.

Properly maintaining a home can make a big difference in how much lead a child is exposed to at home.

• Do regular checks of the home for any peeling, chipping, cracking, flaking, or deteriorated paint
• If there is paint that is not in good condition, that paint must be properly repaired with lead-safe practices
• When doing repairs, remodeling, or renovating a home, please consider that:
  
  • Making repairs to surfaces that have lead-based paint can create additional hazards if the repairs are not done correctly. Repairs that create even a small amount of lead dust are enough to poison a child and put the family at risk
  • For Do-It-Yourself information, visit the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Do-It-Yourself webpage, which provides information about performing home renovations safely
  • Another option is to hire an EPA certified renovator or contractor
  • Children and pregnant people should not be present in a pre-1978 house during any renovation

Make sure a child does not have access to areas with deteriorating or flaking paint.

Create barriers between living/play areas and lead sources wherever possible.

Make sure that the child’s main play area is not under old windows or near doors. Windows can create a lot of lead dust. Each time a window is opened or closed, the edges of the window can rub on the frame and create dust. This is one of the greatest sources of lead dust in many pre-1978 homes. Doors create lead dust too if the edge of the door rubs on the door frame when it is opened and closed. Window frames and doors are called friction surfaces.

Temporary barriers such as contact paper or duct tape, to cover holes in walls or to block children's access to other sources of lead.

Proper housekeeping habits can greatly reduce the amount of lead dust in your home

• Wet wash all horizontal surfaces in the home at least once a week, focusing on the areas the child uses the most. A simple solution of soap and water is a great way to wet wash the surfaces in your home.
• Horizontal surfaces include window sills, tables, chairs, bookshelves, and any other flat surfaces, especially those within a child’s reach. Windowsills and wells can contain high levels of leaded dust. They should be kept clean.
• Do not dust or sweep using a dry rag, duster, or broom. This will just spread the lead dust around and send it up into the air. Once in the air, it will settle onto another surface.
• Wet mop floors and make sure to dump the dirty water down the toilet, not in the sink.
• For soft horizontal surfaces like carpets and rugs, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. The HEPA filter makes sure that the lead dust is captured in the bag instead of being exhausted back into the home. Be cautious when emptying the canister to avoid sending dust into the air.

Changing some behaviors may be necessary in order to reduce exposure to lead-based paint and dust.

• Reduce the child’s hand-to-mouth behavior.
• Infants and toddlers have a tendency to put their fingers in their mouths. This is one of the main ways that small children accidentally eat lead.
• As much as possible, try to break or avoid thumb sucking habits. Try to keep the child from putting their hands in their mouth.
• Don’t allow children to put objects in their mouths.
• Certain objects, especially objects from foreign countries, can contain lead. Please see the Lead Sources page for more detail about these kinds of objects.
• Some children have a tendency to like to chew on objects. If you notice your child doing this, discourage this behavior as much as possible. Keep an eye out for evidence of further chewing, like teeth marks.
• Increase hand washing.
• Frequent handwashing, especially before eating or after playing outside, can reduce the amount of lead dust that the child is exposed to.
• Lead dust will also accumulate on objects all around the home. Wet wiping for hard objects and washing in the washing machine for soft objects should be done regularly, especially with the child’s favorite toys.

• Change the play location for a child to an area known to be free of lead
• If there is area in the home that is known to be lead-safe, have children play there
• Do not allow a child to play at playgrounds where the equipment has peeling, chipping paint

What if there is a concern about lead in home drinking water?

Check to see if there is a lead line coming into the water meter. The water meter is usually in the basement. 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.

Steps you can take:

• Contact the water system for more information about known lead service lines and to get the water tested
• Only use cold water directly out of the faucet for drinking or eating
• There is no issue with using water for bathing, dish washing, or showering
• Obtain an NSF-approved water filter that removes lead

Flush water lines by running the water for 2-3 minutes if the water is not used for a few hours. When water sits in pipes that are made of lead, some of that lead can seep into the water. This is why flushing is important. If water is run long enough, the water coming out of the tap is fresh water coming straight from the main water line (see diagram below). Drawing fresh water from the main means you are less likely to be drinking water with lead in it. Flushing is a good first step, but it is not 100% effective at removing lead. There can be times when flushing does not remove all of the lead from the water, which is why it is still recommend to use filters or bottled water for children and pregnant people if you know there is a chance water contains lead.

Consider using bottled water for infant formula and as drinking water for pregnant people.

Have the service line replaced if it is confirmed to be made of lead, but only consider this step when  a complete replacement (the whole pipe from the water main to the water meter in your home) can be done. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) does not recommend partial lead service line replacements. Partial line replacements can increase the level of lead in the water significantly for 3-6 months after the replacement has been performed.

Partial line replacements are when only one part of the service line is replaced. The diagram below shows a typical service line set up at a single family home. The public water main is the larger pipe that brings the water from your water system. Once that pipe reaches the sidewalk outside of your home, a service line branches off to bring water to your house. The part of the service line on public property, is the responsibility of the water system. See: "Public Water Service Line” in the photo:

The part of the service line that is on your property is the home owners responsibility.

Sometimes the water system will want to replace their side of the service line, without replacing the private side of the line. We do not recommend allowing this to happen. We encourage people to replace their lead service lines, but only when a complete replacement of both the public and private sides is being reformed.

For more information read our Partial Line Replacement Information Sheet(PDF, 58KB).

Visit the Lead Sources page for more information on where lead in soil comes from. Soil is only a potential source of lead exposure when the soil is exposed. Here are some things that can be done to prevent exposure to lead contaminated soil:

• Do not allow children to play in bare soil
• Cover bare soil with a ground covering such as grass, mulch, rocks, or other landscaping
• If bare soil cannot be covered, create barriers to keep children out of those areas
• Do not allow children to play around vacant homes or in abandoned lots
• Take a look at the exterior of your home: is there peeling, chipping, or flaking paint? It might be lead-based paint which is falling into the soil around the home. Repairing deteriorated paint on the exterior of the home will help keep soil from being contaminated further.

Changing some of your everyday behaviors can also help you to prevent exposure to lead in soil:

• Wash your child’s hands thoroughly after playing outside and before eating.
• Try and keep your child from putting their hands in their mouth when playing outside.
• Remove shoes when coming indoors to keep soil from being tracked around the home.
• Pets can bring a lot of soil into the home. Do your best to keep your pets clean and wipe their feet off when they come in from outside.

Below are some resources to get soil tested. Please note: these organizations are not affiliated with the Allegheny County Health Department.

• Penn State Extension
• UMass Amherst’s Soil and Plant Testing Lab

The lab used to get your soil tested will tell you how to interpret your results. Make sure to read all information the lab sends with the results.

Soil testing is especially important for those who plan on planting a garden and growing your own food.

If there is an unsafe level of lead in soil and someone still wants to grow food, there are a few options:

• Install raised beds lined with landscape fabric and filled with soil that is known to be free of lead.
• Lead is mostly taken up into the roots and leafy parts of plants. If raised beds are not an option, there are certain plants that you can grow in lead-contaminated soil that are still okay to eat such as: tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, corn, cucumbers, melons, squash, and other vegetables where the roots or leaves of the plant are not consumed.
• DO NOT grow leafy vegetables like collard greens, spinach, lettuce, or kale or root vegetables like carrots, beets, potatoes, or parsnips in lead- contaminated soil.
• All food grown in a personal garden should be washed thoroughly before eating. Lead-contaminated soil can splash up onto the food, but a good rinsing will get rid of any soil.

Here are a few more things to think about in regard to lead contamination when planting a garden:

• Try to locate the garden away from where any lead dust may accumulate, meaning away from roads and older homes
• Do not use plants grown in lead-contaminated soils in compost to avoid adding lead back into the soil
• Keep soil pH close to neutral (pH 6.5-7.5) as lead is less likely to be absorbed by plants at a pH close to neutral
• Provide a garden bed with plenty of organic matter yearly as organic matter helps by binding to the lead, making it less likely to be taken up by the plants
• Composts rich in phosphorous also help to lower lead uptake

Learn more information about home gardens and lead.

Visit the Lead Sources page to see some examples of jobs and hobbies that work with lead.

For those with a job or hobby that involves working with lead, there are special precautions that should be taken so that lead particles are not spread around home:

• Remove shoes and clothing before entering the living space (in a basement or mud room if possible)
• Wash work and hobby clothing separately from the rest of the family’s clothing
• Avoid handling or touching food or mouth and face when working with lead materials
• Wash hands very well after finishing work with lead or before eating or smoking
• Keep all work and hobby materials away from the living space, especially places children might play in or around

Certain items may contain lead when they have been imported from some foreign countries:

• Folk Remedies/Medicines
• Cosmetics
• Jewelry
• Toys
• Candies
• Ceramics

Visit the Lead Sources page for more information about these items.

It is best to avoid using traditional remedies. People selling a folk medicine may not know whether it contains lead. Unfortunately, you cannot tell if a product contains lead by just looking at it or tasting it. The only way to tell if there is lead is to have it tested at a laboratory.

If you think you or your child may have taken folk remedies that contained lead, contact your healthcare provider.

For more information on folk remedies, visit the Centers for Disease Control website.

Lead exposure from cosmetics is easily avoidable. By not using kohl and similar products on anyone in the home and keeping them out of your home, a potential source of lead exposure can be avoided. Read more about lead in cosmetics on the Lead Sources page.

For more information on lead in cosmetics, visit the FDA website.

Just wearing toy jewelry that contains lead will not cause a child to have a high level of lead in their blood; however, small children often chew or suck on jewelry. When lead items are mouthed or teethed, there is a high likelihood that some of the lead will be ingested. Try to keep all jewelry items out of a child’s mouth, including jewelry worn by adults.

If there is a small child in the home, make sure the child does not have access to jewelry or other items that may contain lead.

When toys with lead in them are mouthed, teethed, or chewed, lead is ingested. If child is believed to have been exposed to a toy containing lead, remove the toy immediately.

Only a certified laboratory can accurately test a toy for lead. Although do-it-yourself kits are available, they do not show how much lead is present and are not reliable at low levels of lead. DIY lead testing kits for testing toys are not recommended.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has regulations that ban the use of lead in many children’s products in the United States. To reduce risks of lead exposure, the CSPC also issues recalls of toys that could potentially expose children to lead. To see the latest recalls, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Recall Site.

For more information about lead in consumer products, visit the CPSC website.

Avoid using containers, cookware, or tableware to store or cook foods and liquids that are not shown or known to be lead free.

There are certain types of ceramic ware or pottery are more likely to contain lead. These include pottery or ceramic ware that is:

• Handmade with a crude appearance or irregular shape
• Antique
• Damaged or excessively worn
• Imported from a foreign country
• Purchased from flea markets or street vendors
• If it cannot be determined whether or not the pottery is from a reliable manufacturer
• Brightly decorated in orange, red, or yellow color, as lead is often used with these pigments to increase their intensity

For more information about ceramic wares and pottery as sources of lead, visit the Lead Sources page or the FDA website.

Avoid eating candies imported from other countries. They have been known to contain lead. The only way to know if candy contains lead is to have it tested in a laboratory. Specifically, the FDA advises parents, care providers, and others not to allow children or pregnant people to eat candy imported from Mexico.

For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control or the Food and Drug Administration website.