Lead poisoning is probably the number one childhood disease, but it can be prevented with a little care with some simple steps around the house. Clearly, the best way to prevent lead poisoning would be to completely remove all lead hazards your family could possibly come in contact with. The National Safety Council and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest these 8 ways to keep your family safe and remove potential lead hazards:
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Have lead-based paint removed from your home, especially in pre-1978 homes, as they pose a higher risk of lead contamination. Extreme caution should be taken when renovating and remodeling these homes due to lead-paint risks. If you believe your house is contaminated, it is best to hire experienced and licensed lead abatement professionals to remove all lead-based paint, pipes or other lead hazards. Because dust and debris is likely to spread through your home during the remodeling process, it is recommended that all family members leave the home until after renovation. This ensures that lead hazards are not encountered by family members.
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Clean your home often. If not possible to remove or repaint lead-painted walls, window and door frames in your home, it is recommended that you keep your home clean and free of airborne dust. This can be accomplished by wet mopping floors and wiping walls thoroughly with damp sponges and rags. Regularly checking your home for dusting, chipping, or peeling paint is essential in preventing exposure to lead as a method of combating lead poisoning. Soapy water combined with a cleaner such as dishwasher soap (or powdered TriSoduim Phosphate cleaner) is a good way to clean these lead-paint areas. Be certain that you properly dispose of sponges and rags used in cleaning lead painted surfaces.
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Notify your landlord about potential lead hazards in your home if you rent the home you live in. Your landlord must find a way to resolve potential lead hazards if you ask that they be removed. If a landlord refuses to remove lead hazards, you can contact your local health department to ask for an inspection of your home. The landlord may then be legally required to resolve the lead exposure problem.
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Make sure that family members wash their hands regularly, especially before meals to help reduce the risk of accidental ingestion of lead-based paint chips or dust from the contaminated areas of your home.
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Avoid exposing family members to lead hazards from your work. Change lead contaminated clothes and shoes after working with lead and before returning home. It is best to leave all contaminated clothes at the workplace. But when it's necessary to bring contaminated clothing home, wash them immediately to avoid family exposure. If your occupation or even hobbies (stained glass projects), require you to work with lead, you must do everything possible to prevent contaminating your home and exposing other family members, especially those children under six years of age.
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Have your tap water tested for lead contamination. Lead cannot be removed from water by boiling and is difficult to detect because it is tasteless odorless and you cannot see it. As a general precaution for those with lead pipes, it is recommended that hot tap water never be used for cooking, drinking, or making baby formula. It is best to run cold water for two minutes before using it if your home has lead pipes. If you're uncertain whether your tap water is contaminated with lead you should contact the EPA's "Safe Drinking Water Hotline" at 1-800-426-4791. They will give you the latest water safety information and provide water test kits.
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Eat a well balanced diet including foods high in calcium and iron (dairy products, meat, spinach, beans) because it has been proven that calcium and iron reduce the amount of lead absorbed by the body.
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Be aware of lead hazards wherever you visit. Older homes or buildings that you visit could contain hazardous lead paint or have lead pipes that may contaminate drinking or cooking water. Use caution when homes, restaurants and businesses built before 1978 when lead use in building was outlawed.
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