The older your home is, the more likely it is to contain lead-based paint. Paints containing up to 50 percent lead were used on the inside and outside of homes through the 1950s. A pregnant or nursing woman's exposure to lead can harm her unborn baby or child. It is very normal for young children to put things in their mouths. Eating lead paint chips and lead dust is a very common cause of lead poisoning in young children.
Young children are also very active and like to explore.
A child can crawl on the floor and reach windows, walls, railings or doors. All of these areas can be sources of peeling and chipping lead-based paint or leaded dust. Even toys and food that have fallen on the floor can be coated with lead dust. Children also run a greater risk because their bodies absorb the lead more easily. A child's quickly growing body can be harmed by even small amounts of lead.