Lead Poisoning

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• QWhat can I do to reduce my child's exposure to lead?

  1 Answer

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  A Dr. James D. Fortenberry, MD , Pediatrics, answered on behalf of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

  • Teach your child to wash his hands and face before meals.
  • Wash toys and pacifiers often.
  • Do not burn painted wood. It may contain lead.
  • Make sure your child does not chew on painted surfaces such as windowsills, cribs or playpens.
  • Do not bring lead dust into the home. If you work with lead in your job or hobby, change your clothes before you go into your home.
  • Direct your child to play in sand or on a grassy area instead of dirt.
  • Keep your child from eating dirt and make sure hands are washed after play.
  • Plant grass or other ground covers if your soil may contain lead, such as around a home built before 1978 or near a major highway. For older homes with lead paint (built before 1978):
  • Damp mop or wipe floors and windowsills twice a week. Use a solution of powdered automatic dishwasher detergent and warm water (or a trisodium phosphate detergent) to reduce risk from lead paint and lead dust.
  • Keep play areas as dust-free and clean as possible.
  • Talk with your health department about testing paint or dust from your home.
  • For lead in drinking water: Most well or city water does not naturally contain lead. However, if your plumbing is made with lead materials, water can pick up lead inside your home. Household water will contain more lead if it sits for a long time in pipes, is hot or is naturally acidic. If your water contains lead or has not been tested:
  • Do not drink, cook or make baby formula with hot water from the tap.
  • Run cold water for at least 2 minutes before drinking it or using it for cooking.
  • Buy a filter certified for lead removal.

  Foods: A child who gets enough iron and calcium in his diet will absorb less lead. Do not store or serve food in lead crystal glassware, open cans, imported or old pottery. Keep the printed label on the outside of the bag if you reuse plastic bags to store or carry food.

• QHow do children get lead poisoning?

  2 Answers

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  A Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, MD , Pediatrics, answered on behalf of The Mount Sinai Health System

  Lead gets into the bodies of children in a variety of ways. Kids can ingest the dust after putting toys -- or even their hands -- that have lead dust on them in their mouths. (And as you well know, infants and toddlers put everything in their mouths.) When toddlers are tall enough to look out the window, they often use the windowsill as a teething ring.
  
  And not only is it pretty easy for kids to get lead paint into their mouths, it’s also tasty to them because it’s sweet. In fact, children can actually develop a craving for lead paint (this is called “pica”). Some kids like the taste of lead paint so much that they become quite persistent in finding and eating paint chips.
  

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