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What can a parent do to prevent lead poisoning?

Young children should be tested for lead with a simple blood test ordered by the child's pediatrician or the health care clinic where the child is routinely seen. If your child is one year old and you live in an older dwelling, you should ask for the test. You should also have your young child's blood tested if your older home has recently been remodeled, or if a brother, sister or neighborhood playmate has tested high for lead. Children's blood should be tested annually for lead at least until age six.

There are steps you can take to lower your child's risk. If you live in an older house, be aware of for cracking, chipping or flaking lead-based paint. If you rent an older apartment, tell your landlord in writing to fix deteriorated painted surfaces. The most likely places for deteriorated lead-based paint are on window surfaces between the sashes and on sills, and on exterior painted wood trim, clapboard, and porch surfaces.

Lead can also be found on painted interior wood surfaces, like doors and baseboards and other wood trim, painted staircases, and even on walls, cabinets and cupboards. Look carefully at painted door jambs, thresholds, and window frames for signs of wearing paint. Lead dust is generated on "friction surfaces" where paint is being rubbed by the opening and closing of a door or window.

Keep young children away from areas where there is deteriorated paint and where home remodeling and renovations are taking place. Wash children's hands and faces frequently, and always before they eat. Toys that are on the floor can gather lead dust, and should be washed often also.

Window surfaces and other areas where lead dust settles can be wiped down frequently with a wet rag using a phosphate-based dishwasher soap mixed with water. Flooring beneath windows should be wet mopped. Sweeping, using a regular vacuum cleaner, and dry dusting areas where lead dust is present will only serve to further disperse the dust, and so is not recommended. Renovating, dry sanding, power sanding, or scraping old paint can cause harmful lead exposures. Be aware of surfaces that might contain lead paint before doing any renovations.

Take these steps to protect your children:

• Remove flaking and peeling lead paint using approved methods, and never sand off suspected lead-based paint.
• Avoid spreading lead dust throughout living areas, wet-mop floors near old windows frequently, and remove lead-laced dust by wiping down window surfaces with a water solution containing dishwasher soap.
• Seal older painted surfaces with lead-free coatings.
• Watch for signs of chipping and flaking paint. Pay particular attention to painted interior and exterior wood trim and window surfaces.
• If you are going to buy a home, have a complete home inspection and have the premises tested for lead if it was constructed prior to 1975.