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Health
and Human Services
Division
of Public Health |
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Lead is a toxic
substance that may be present in dust, paint, soil, and drinking
water. When ingested or inhaled as dust, lead poses a serious health
risk to young children. Low levels of lead exposure can cause nervous
system and kidney damage, learning disabilities, poor muscle coordination,
slower growth, hearing losses, and also speech, language and behavior
problems. While low-level exposure is most common, exposure to high
levels can have devastating effects including seizures, unconsciousness,
and even death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in
11 American children has high levels of lead in their blood.
2001 Wisconsin Statistics Of 79,465 children screened ages 0-6 years,
there were 5,776 (7.2%) who had a lead level greater than 10 (considered
an elevation).
2001 Sheboygan County Statistics Of 1,388 children screened ages
0-6 years, there were 124 children (8.9%) who had a lead level greater
than 10 (considered an elevation).
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| Lead
is still prevalent in housing built before 1978, and poses risks
in the form of lead based-paint, lead-contaminated dust, lead-contaminated
soil, and older plumbing fixtures made with lead. Before we knew
how harmful lead could be, it was used in paint, gasoline, water
pipes, and many other products. Now we know the dangers of lead
poisoning and have banned or limited the use of lead in these products.
However, this has not eliminated the risk. |
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Lead-based
paint is a hazard if it's peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking.
Even lead-based paint that appears to be undisturbed can be a problem
if it covers surfaces that children may chew or that get a lot of
wear and tear such as windows, windowsills, doors, stairs, railings,
banisters, porches, and fences.
Dust can become contaminated with lead when lead-based paint is
dry-scraped or sanded. Dust can also become contaminated when older
painted surfaces bump or rub together. Lead chips and dust can gather
on surfaces and objects that people touch or those children put
into their mouths.
Soil can become contaminated by flaking or peeling lead-based paint on older buildings. Soil near roadways may also be contaminated by past use of leaded gasoline in cars. Avoid these areas when planting vegetable gardens.
Lead can leach into the water at any temperature, but the amount of lead can be much greater when the water is hot or warm. Don't drink or cook with water from the "hot" faucet if you live in an older home or think you have lead plumbing fixtures.
Sheboygan City Development, in partnership with Public Health Nursing, inspects properties when elevated blood levels in children 6 years and younger exist.
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Get your child tested if you live in a home built before 1978.
This can be done at your physician's office or by appointment
at Sheboygan County Public Health at 459-4382. Special screenings
are also held throughout the year. Check the web site or call
Public Health for further information. Children who have high
blood levels of lead may appear healthy.
When you open windows, clean out all loose paint chips, dust,
and debris. Don't use your vacuum, as this will only spread lead
dust around the house. Only a vacuum with a Hepafilter should
be used and can be borrowed FREE from Public Health. Clean your
windowsills and woodwork with hot, soapy  water
and clean rinse.
Use paper towels or rags (that you wash separately from the rest
of your laundry) to do this cleaning.
Avoid exposure to harmful lead dust. Hire a professional to remove
lead-based paint, or when renovating or remodeling - don't do
it yourself.
Use cold tap water for drinking or cooking since lead is more
likely to leach into warm or hot water. Run tapwater for 15-30
seconds (or until it feels much colder on your hand) before drinking
it.
 Clean
or remove shoes before entering your home to avoid tracking in
lead-contaminated soil.
 Make
sure children wash their hands after playing outside and before
eating or going to bed. Have children play in grassy areas instead
of bare soil.
Keep play area clean. Wash bottles, pacifiers, toys, and stuffed
animals regularly. Keep your home
clean by washing floors and windowsills weekly.
Keep children from chewing on painted surfaces, such as windowsills,
cribs, or playpens or from playing near painted surfaces that
rub together.
 Make
sure your family eats a well-balanced diet low in fat and high
in calcium and iron to reduce absorption of lead into the body.
If you rent property, tell your landlord about peeling or chipping
paint. |
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