! Make sure your children wash their hands 

before meals, nap time, and bedtime.

3. Reduce the risk from 

lead paint.

Most homes built before 1960 contain

leaded paint. Some homes built as recently as

1978 may also contain lead paint. This paint

could be on window frames, walls, the outside

of your house, or other surfaces. Tiny pieces of

peeling or chipping paint are dangerous if eaten.

Lead paint in good condition is not usually a

problem except in places where painted surfaces

rub against each other and create dust. (For

example, when you open a window, the

painted surfaces rub against each other.) 

! Make sure your child does not chew on 

anything covered with lead paint, such as 

painted window sills, cribs, or playpens.

! Don’t burn painted wood. It may contain 

lead.

4. Don’t remove lead paint 

yourself

Families have been poisoned by scraping

or sanding lead paint because these activities

generate large amounts of lead dust. Lead dust

from repairs or renovations of older buildings

can remain in the building long after the work

is completed. Heating paint may release lead

into the air.

! Ask your local or state health department 

if they will test your home for lead paint. 

Some will test for free. Home test kits

cannot detect small amounts of lead 

under some conditions.

! Hire a person with special training for 

correcting lead paint problems to remove 

lead paint from your home, someone who 

knows how to do this work safely and has 

! Children who should be tested under 

your state or local screening plan. 

To find out where to have your child tested,

call your doctor or local health clinic. They can

explain what the test results mean, and if more

testing will be needed.

2. Keep it clean.

Ordinary dust and dirt may contain lead.

Children can swallow lead or breathe lead

contaminated dust if they play in dust or dirt

and then put their fingers or toys in their mouths,

or if they eat without washing their hands first.

! Keep the areas where your children play 

as dust-free and clean as possible.

! Wash pacifiers and bottles after they fall 

on the floor. Keep extras handy.

! Clean floors, window frames, window 

sills, and other surfaces weekly. Use a mop,

sponge, or paper towel with warm water and

a general all-purpose cleaner or a cleaner 

made specifically for lead. REMEMBER: 

NEVER MIX AMMONIA AND BLEACH 

PRODUCTS TOGETHER SINCE THEY 

CAN FORM A DANGEROUS GAS.

! Thoroughly rinse sponges and mop heads 

after cleaning dirty and dusty areas.

! Wash toys and stuffed animals regularly.

Lead awareness and your

children

About 1 in 22 children in America have

high levels of lead in their blood, according to

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

You may have lead around your building without

knowing it because you can’t see, taste, or smell

lead. You may have lead in the dust, paint, or soil

in and around your home, or in your drinking water

or food. Because it does not break down naturally,

lead can remain a problem until it is removed.

Before we knew how harmful it could be, lead

was used in paint, gasoline, water pipes, and many

other products. Now that we know the dangers of

lead, house paint is almost lead-free, leaded

gasoline has been phased out, and household

plumbing is no longer made with lead materials.

How lead affects your

child’s health

The long-term effects of lead in a child can be

severe. They include learning disabilities, decreased

growth, hyperactivity, impaired hearing, and even

brain damage. If caught early, these effects can be

limited by reducing exposure to lead or by medical

treatment. If you are pregnant, avoid exposing

yourself to lead. Lead can pass through your body

to your baby. The good news is that there are simple

things you can do to help protect your family.

1. Get your child tested.

Even children who appear healthy may have

high levels of lead. You can’t tell if a child has

lead poisoning unless you have him or her tested.

A blood test takes only ten minutes, and results

should be ready within a week.

Blood tests are usually recommended for:

! Children at ages 1 and 2.

! Children or other family members who 

have been exposed to high levels of lead.

the proper equipment to clean up 

thoroughly. Don’t try to remove 

lead paint yourself.

All occupants, especially children !

and pregnant women, should leave 

the building until all work is finished

and a thorough cleanup is done.

5. Don’t bring lead dust 

into your home.

If you work in construction, demolition or

painting, with batteries, or in a radiator repair

shop or lead factory, or if your hobby involves

lead, you may unknowingly bring lead into your

home on your hands or clothes. You may also be

tracking in lead from the soil around your home.

Soil very close to homes may be contaminated

from lead paint on the outside of the building.

Soil by roads or highways may be contaminated

from years of exhaust fumes from cars and trucks

that used leaded gas.

If you work with lead in your job or !

hobby, change your clothes and shower 

before you go home.

Encourage your children to play in sand !

or grassy areas instead of dirt which 

sticks to fingers and toys. Try to keep 

your children from eating dirt, and make 

sure they wash their hands when they 

come inside.

6. Get lead out of your 

drinking water.

Most well or city water does not naturally

inside contain lead. Water usually picks up lead

from household plumbing that is made your home 

with lead materials. Boiling the water will not

reduce the amount of lead. Bathing is not a

problem because lead does not enter the body

through the skin.

The only way to know if you have lead in !

Call your your water is to have it tested. 

local health department or your water 

supplier to see how to get it tested. 

Household water will contain more lead if !

it has sat for a long time in the pipes, is hot, 

or is naturally acidic.

If you think your plumbing might have !

lead in it:

1) Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, 

and making baby formula. 1) 

2) Run water for 15 to 30 seconds before 

drinking it, especially if you have not 2)

used your water for a few hours. 2)

3) Call EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline 

for more information. 3)

7. Eat right.

A child who gets enough iron and calcium

will absorb less lead. Foods rich in iron include

eggs, lean red meat, and beans. Dairy products

are high in calcium. 

food or liquid in lead crystal store Don’t !

glassware or imported or old pottery.

If you reuse plastic bags to store or carry !

food, keep the printing on the outside of 

the bag.

United States

Environmental Protection

Agency

EPA 747-K-00-003

October 2000

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7404)

Lead Poisoning

And Your 

Children

EPA
For More Information

Protect Your Children From

Lead Poisoning

1 Get your child 

tested for lead 

poisoning, even 

if he or she 

seems healthy.

2 Clean floors, 

window frames, 

window sills, and 

other surfaces 

weekly. Use a 

mop, sponge, or 

paper towel with 

warm water and a 

general all-purpose

cleaner or a cleaner

made specifically 

for lead.

3 Reduce the risk of 

lead paint. Make 

sure your child is 

not chewing on 

anything covered 

with lead paint.

4 Don’t try to 

remove lead 

paint yourself.

5 Don’t bring lead 

dust into your 

home from work 

or a hobby.

6 Have your water 

tested. If the cold 

water hasn’t been 

used for more than 

a few hours, let it 

run for 15–30 

seconds before 

drinking it or 

cooking with it.

7Eat right and don’t 

store food in highlead pottery.

Lead poisoning is a serious problem for young children—

the younger the child, the greater the risk. 

Visit our web site

http://www.epa.gov/lead

National Lead Information Center

1-800-424-LEAD

EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline

1-800-426-4791

United States Environmental Protection Agency ! Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics ! Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

Recycled/Recyclable — Printed with vegetable oil based inks on recycled paper (30% minimum post-consumer)