Regularly clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces. Wipe soil off shoes before entering house. Talk to your landlord about fixing surfaces with peeling or chipping paint. Don't use a belt-sander, propane torch, dry scraper, or dry sandpaper on painted surfaces that may contain lead. Don't try to remove lead-based paint yourself.
Lead exposure can harm young children and babies even before they are born.
Even children that seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies. Removing lead-based paint improperly can increase the danger to your family. Babies and young children often put their hands and other objects in their mouths and these objects can have lead dust on them. Children's growing bodies absorb more lead. Children's developing brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.