What is Lead?
Lead is a metal found in the earth, and it is a poison. For years, lead was used in paint, gasoline, plumbing and many other items. Lead is practically everywhere in today's environment. It enters our bodies from many sources including defective glazes (pottery), drinking water, contaminated soil, airborne particulate, leaded gasoline, paint and several other sources.

There is no safe age to be exposed to lead. Adults can have problems from lead poisoning, but it is most harmful to children younger than age 6 (especially those younger than age 3) because it can permanently affect their growth and development. A pregnant woman who is exposed to lead can pass it to her unborn baby (fetus). Lead can also be passed to a baby through the mother's breast milk.

What is lead poisning?
Lead poisoning occurs when you absorb too much lead by breathing or swallowing a substance with lead in it, such as food, dust, paint, or water. Too much lead in the body can cause irreversible problems in growth and development in children, including:

• Behavior problems.
• Hearing problems.
• Learning problems.
• Slowed growth.

In adults, lead poisoning can cause serious health problems, including high blood pressure and damage to the brain, nervous system , stomach, and kidneys.

Although it is not normal to have lead in your body, a small amount is present in most people. Lead can damage almost every organ system, with the most harm caused to the brain, nervous system, kidneys, and blood.

The Centers for Disease Control considers lead to be the greatest environmental health risk to children as their immune systems are still in the developmental stages!

What causes lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning is usually caused by months or years of exposure to small amounts of lead in the home, work, or day care environment. It can also happen very quickly with exposure to high concentrations. The most common source of lead exposure for children is lead-based paint and dust and soil that are contaminated by it, especially in older homes and buildings. Some estimates say that as many as three-quarters of dwellings built before 1980 have indoor surfaces painted with lead-containing paint.

Adults are most often exposed to lead in the workplace or while doing hobbies. Those who work with lead—such as metal smelters, welders, or pottery makers—are at a higher risk of lead poisoning.

Other sources of lead exposure include:

• Contaminated air (including industrial emissions), water, and soil.
• Toys
• Certain hobbies, such as working with stained glass, building lead-based models, reloading ammunition, or shooting at indoor ranges.
• Some alternative medicines and supplements, such as certain vitamins from India .
• Eating food or juice stored in cans made with lead or glazed with lead-based glazes, which are not manufactured in the United States .

Who is at highest risk of lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning can occur at any age, but children are most vulnerable to contamination. Children who are at highest risk for lead poisoning include those who:

• Live in homes or buildings built before 1978, especially if built before 1950 when lead-based paint was commonly used.
• Reside in the inner cities rather than the suburbs in the United States.7
• Have been adopted or recently immigrated from countries where lead poisoning is common, such as China .
• Have been exposed to toys that are highly concentrated on lead paint
• Are between the ages of 1 to 5 years. Babies and young children are most vulnerable to lead poisoning because they:
• Often put their hands and objects in their mouths.
• Sometimes swallow nonfood items.
• Have higher gastrointestinal absorption of lead.
• Have brains that are rapidly developing.

Additionally, lead exposure or lead poisoning may occur in:

• People whose drinking water flows through lead-soldered pipes.
• Adults who work with lead either in their occupation or as a hobby, such as metal smelters, pottery makers, or stained glass artists.
• People who eat food from cans made with lead solder, which are manufactured outside the United States .
• People who use ceramic containers for cooking or storing food or beverages. Some ceramic glaze contains lead that may have been improperly fired or cured.
• People who eat or breathe traditional or folk remedies that contain lead, such as some herbs and vitamins from India .
• People who live in communities contaminated by industrial emissions.

Most people are exposed to some amount of lead in their lifetime. Although environmental regulations have reduced lead exposure in the United States , it is still a significant health risk, especially for young children. It is estimated that lead poisoning affects over 310,000 children in the U.S.

How is lead poisoning it treated?
Treatment for lead poisoning includes removing the source of lead exposure and eating a balanced diet. Adequate nutrition, especially sufficient iron intake, helps prevent absorption of lead. Often this treatment approach is enough to reduce lead levels in the body. If this is not successful or if lead levels are very high, chelation therapy may be used. Chelation therapy involves taking medicines that bind to lead in the body and help speed its elimination through the kidneys.

It is important to make sure that children are not exposed to lead. The most effective means of prevention is to keep children out of buildings and toys that contain lead-based paint until the lead has been either removed or sealed away and the environment is certified by professionals to be free of lead residues.

What about Toys and Childhood Lead Exposure?
Lead is a well known hazard. Children may be exposed to lead from toys that have been made in other countries and then imported into the country, or from antique toys and collectibles passed down through generations. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issues recalls of toys that could potentially expose children to lead.

How is lead used in manufacturing?
Paint: Lead may be found in the paint on toys. Lead paint was banned for use in house paint, on products marketed to children, and dishes or cookware in the United States in 1978; however, it is still widely used in other countries and therefore the reason it can be found in imported toys. It may also be found on older toys made in the United States before the ban in 1978.

Plastic: Lead may also be used in plastic toys to stabilize the plastic molecules from heat. It makes the plastic more flexible and softens the plastic so that it can go back to its original shape. The use of lead in plastics has not been banned. When the plastic is exposed to substances such as sunlight, air, and detergents the chemical bond between the lead and plastics breaks down and forms a dust

How can my child be exposed?
Lead is invisible to the naked eye and has no smell. Children may be exposed to lead from consumer products through normal hand-to-mouth activity. As part of normal development, young children often place their toys, fingers, and other objects in their mouth, which puts them in contact with the lead paint or dust.

How Can I Limit My Child's Exposure to Lead in Toys?
The Consumer Federation of America www.consumerfederation.org recommends the following steps:

1. Identify whether you have a product in your home that has been recalled. Go to www.cpsc.gov to determine whether the products in your home are subject to the recall.

2. If you do have a recalled toy in your home:

•  Take it out of your children's hands immediately;

•  Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the recall; do not just throw out the product and;

•  If the recalled toy contains lead, wipe down other toys that were near the recalled toy to catch lead dust.

3. Beware of young children's tendencies to put small toys in their mouths.

4. Beware of choking hazards, including small magnets. To determine if there are toys or parts of toys that may pose a choking hazard to a young child, use the inside of a toilet paper tube. If a toy or piece of a toy easily fits through, do not let children under three play with or have access to these toys.

How can I obtain more information about recalls?

Photos and descriptions of recalled toys can be found by visiting www.recalls.gov.

If you have concerns about Lead in Toy Jewelry see http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/faq/jewelry.htm for information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How big is the problem of lead poisioning?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, childhood lead poisoning is the number one environmental health risk facing children in industrialized countries today. In the United States, more than three million children age six and younger, that's one out of every six children, already have toxic levels of lead in their bodies.

How can renovating an older home lead to lead poisioning?
If proper precautions are not taken, remodeling or renovating an older home can generate a very large amount of lead dust. Even small jobs done during routine maintenance like painting, dusting can generate lead dust.

What is the likelihood of lead contamination in my drinking water?
According to the EPA, chances of lead in your drinking water are likely to be highest if: your home has faucets or fittings made of brass, or your home or water system has lead pipes, or your home has lead pipes, or copper pipes with lead solder, and the home is less than 5 years old, or you have naturally soft water, or water often sits in the pipes for several hours.

What's the difference between a lead inspection and a risk assessment?
A lead inspection tests every surface inside and outside your home to see if there's lead paint and where it's located. A lead inspection does not tell you if the paint is a hazard, it simply tells you where it is whereas a risk assessment, concentrates on lead hazards. A risk assessor takes dust and soil samples and sends them to an accredited laboratory for detailed testing purposes.

How do I know if my tap water is contaminated with lead?
The only way to know whether your tap water contains lead is to have it tested. You cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water. Therefore, you must ask your water provider whether your water has lead in it. For homes served by public water systems, data on lead in tap water may be available on the Internet from your local water authority. If your water provider does not post this information, you should call and find out.

Does a high lead level in my tap water cause health effects?
High levels of lead in tap water can cause health effects if the lead in the water enters the bloodstream and causes an elevated blood lead level. Most studies show that exposure to lead-contaminated water alone would not be likely to elevate blood lead levels in most adults, even exposure to water with a lead content close to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) “action level” for lead of 15 parts per billion (ppb). Risk will vary, however, depending upon the individual, the circumstances, and the amount of water consumed. For example, infants who drink formula prepared with lead-contaminated water may be at a higher risk because of the large volume of water they consume relative to their body size.

If my water has high lead levels, is it safe to take a bath or shower?
Yes, bathing and showering should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA’s action level. Human skin does not absorb lead in water. This information applies to most situations and to a large majority of the population, but individual circumstances may vary. Some situations, such as cases involving highly corrosive water, may require additional recommendations or more stringent actions. At all times, your local water authority remains your first source for testing and identifying lead contamination in your tap water.

Do lead effetc vary with different age groups?
It has been observed that the age group of school going children is more prone to the lead poising than the graduating young men & women. Studies suggest that teenagers and adults, who were poisoned early in their lives, are more prone to disorders related to growth and have a greater likelihood to be in trouble with the law later in life. Even a mother having higher lead levels, can transmit it to the fetus.

How is Lead testing done?
For lead detection and subsequent quantification, blood is drawn from veins, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand, into an airtight vial and is taken to the laboratory for testing. For children, a tool called lancet can be used to take the blood samples, instead of needles. In laboratories, blood samples are treated with several chemicals and reagents and the results are interpreted, giving the amounts of lead levels present in blood.

How is sample collected for lead poisioning detection?
Lead poisoning can be screened & confirmed in two ways: Venipuncture and Capillary testing. Venipuncture is puncture of a vein through the skin in order to withdraw blood for analysis and is more preferred for specimen collection over the capillary testing as the later is prone to contamination because of the possibility of lead containing dust and dirt on the hand or under the fingernails.

Are there any upper limits to allowed level of lead in blood?
Several organizations and laboratories have recommended upper limits of blood lead levels and these recommended levels are medically termed as Elevated Blood Lead (EBL) Levels. Frequently allowed lead levels are around 10 mg/dl while on the ppm (parts per million) scale, permitted levels range between 250ppm - 1000ppm. So, Body Lead Levels of 10 mg/dl or higher, obtained with capillary lead testing must be followed with a confirmatory venous test. The ratio of BLL (Body Lead Level) to the EBLL (Elevated Body Lead Level) is one of the major decisive factors for further medical support to be taken.

Why should I test myself for lead?
Lead test is used in order to evaluate the concentrations of lead levels in the blood. Over a period of time, this test can be used to monitor the changes in the blood lead levels and to screen the exposure to harmful levels of lead. In a single test, an analyst can diagnose chronic lead levels and recent lead levels for the reference purposes. So, one should keep monitoring his/her family for presence of heavy metals, specifically for lead, for all the mayhem it causes otherwise! So, you should certainly not wait for the symptoms and the signs of high lead content in your body to show up before you decide to take the test!

Why is Lead used in paints? Which paint color has lead?
Lead is highly used in paints for speeding up its drying, & for giving them desired colors. A wide range of colors hcontan lead, for instance, Yellow contains Lead(II) chromate i.e. PbCrO4, White color contains lead (II) carbonate, PbCO3.

What are the effects and symptoms of Lower Lead levels?
Lower levels refer to levels of lead more than 10µg/dl but less than 60µg/dl. One usually experiences regular and prolonged headaches & may feel irritated at petty issues. Lesser frequently, he/she may experience following symptoms along with frequently reported general weakness and improper sleep: Learning disabilities, Delayed growth, High blood pressure, Tremors

What are the effects and symptoms of Intermediate Lead levels?
Intermediate levels refer to levels of lead around 70µg/dl. One may experience decreased appetite and vomiting along with frequently reported symptoms like Constipation, Drowsiness, Abdominal pain etc.

What are the effects and symptoms of Very High Lead levels?
Very High Lead levels refer to levels of lead exceeding 70µg/dl: There is a high risk of hallucinations and impaired muscular coordination. People may also suffer through frightful experiences of coma & seizures. At such levels, people often start behaving bizarre.

How can I tell if I have a lead hazard in my building?
Look for peeling or decaying paint, or any water damage. Specifically look at the high risk surfaces like, Chewable surfaces that are interior edges or protrusions in a dwelling unit or multiple dwelling (window sill, rail or stair) where a child has, or could access for chewing, Fiction surfaces which are painted surfaces that touches another surface and is capable of motion (e.g. window frames and jambs, doors and hinges) and Impact surfaces which are interior painted surfaces with evidence of denting or chipping from repeated sudden force (e.g. door frames, moldings, cabinets, baseboards).

Is lead paint still the most important source of lead exposure for children?
Generally, the largest risk of lead exposure for children comes from lead paint in older homes. However, the risk from lead and other hazardous chemicals in toys is real. In particular, metal jewelry with high levels of lead or cadmium, if swallowed by a child, can be very hazardous. The contribution of toys to the overall level of hazardous chemicals in children is not known, and will vary depending on the child's behavior and the products to which they are exposed.

Are less expensive toys more likely than name-brand toys to contain toxic chemicals?
Lead and other chemicals have been found in all types of toys from all types of stores. Even name-brand toys have been found to contain lead and other hazards. Children's metal jewelry tended to have more lead than other children's products. So, here is no cost associated lead exposure from toys.

Can I test toys myself?
Lead-testing kits are widely available, but consumers should be aware that they can provide both false positives and false negatives when testing toys and other products. Kits may provide a screening tool, but should not be used as an absolute determination of safety. For more accurate results, laboratory testing with an XRF analyzer is recommended..

Should my child be tested for lead if he or she has played with a toy that was found to contain high levels of lead?
Parents should consult with their pediatrician to determine whether a lead test for their child is warranted. The detection of lead in a product does not necessarily mean there has been exposure. It is important to remember that toys and childcare articles are just one source of lead exposure for kids. Children are exposed to lead from other sources as well. Centre for Disease control and prevention has various fact sheets on this which may be consulted.

Why is testing recommended for houses built before 1978?
In 1978 a limit was placed on the amount of lead in paint sold for residential use, following federal regulations. It is because of this, that paint containing lead is found in most homes built before 1978. Chances of encountering lead-based paint are dangerously high in older homes.

Which paint is classified as lead based?
Paint is classified as lead-based when there is 1.0 mg/cm2 (milligram of lead per square centimeter of painted surface). The laboratory report is written in terms of the amount, or weight of lead per weight of paint chips . The federal definition of lead-based paint is 0.5% lead or 5,000 milligram of lead per kilogram of paint chips

How are dust samples collected and analyzed?
The simplest method of collecting dust is a surface wipe sample in an area of one square foot is sampled. To assure collection of all dust particles, the area is wiped several times in different directions. After collection, the dust sample is contained and sealed, then sent to a laboratory for assessment. Analysis is usually done by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzers.

What does the term Leachable Lead mean?
Leachable Lead is used to describe the ability of lead to come off of a finished surface such as in ceramic glaze. In the case of ceramics, lead can come off into food that is in contact of the glaze. It is one of the major ways of lead contamination.