Home > Our Practice > Lead Poisoning > FAQs > Is lead paint the only cause of lead poisoning?

Is lead paint the only cause of lead poisoning?

The major source of lead exposure to children in the United States results from the presence of old, deteriorated lead-based paint in and around their homes. However, children can also be exposed to lead in other ways. Sometimes, drinking water can be contaminated with lead from traveling through old leaded pipes or lead-soldered pipes. For more information on lead in drinking water, go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/

Certain hobbies can lead to lead exposure if they involve the making of stained glass windows, glazed ceramics-making, or even fishing because lead sinkers can be held or mouthed by children. (Also, certain ethnic home-based health remedies and cosmetics can contain lead, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.) Near busy streets, lead deposits from exhaust fumes of cars once fueled by leaded gasoline can be found in the soil where children might play. Workers who sand or scrape lead paint can also become exposed. Additionally, a child might be exposed to lead from contact with the work clothes of a family member who has contact with lead dust in jobs like construction, bridge repair, sandblasting, ship building, battery making, and foundry casting. Lead dust can be brought home on clothing, skin or shoes. Go to http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead for further information about sources for lead exposure. Also visit www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/environ/lead.htm for more information on sources of lead other than in the home.

Additionally, a child might be exposed to lead from contact with the work clothes of a family member who has contact with lead dust in jobs like construction, bridge repair, sandblasting, ship building, battery making, and foundry casting. Lead dust can be brought home on clothing, skin or shoes. Go to http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead for further information about sources for lead exposure. Also visit www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/environ/lead.htm for more information on sources of lead other than in the home.

Recently, it has been discovered that inexpensive toy jewelry, including rings, necklaces and bracelets, which were often sold in vending machines contained lead. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) convinced toy jewelry importers to discontinue importing such toy jewelry from foreign manufacturers, and the CPSC has urged consumers to throw away any kind of vending machine jewelry that their children may have because half of all such jewelry is thought to contain lead that could leach out and pose harm to a child who may put it in her mouth. For more information, visit the CPSC website: http://www.toyjewelryrecall.com