1. Your home could poison your child or the children who visit it. If your house was built before 1978, it may contain lead-based paint. If it was built before 1960, it almost certainly does.

2. Children most at risk are those younger than 7. Lead poisoning can cause permanent brain damage, loss of IQ, learning disabilities and violent tendencies. The only way to tell if your child has been poisoned is via a blood test. Ask your local health department or your child’s physician about testing.

3. Despite the recent headlines about contaminated toys, lead dust in your home and lead in soil are the primary causes of poisoning. The dust or soil lands on children’s toys, blankets, clothes and hands — and ultimately makes its way into small mouths. The amount of dust the Environmental Protection Agency considers unsafe for kids is miniscule: A small packet of sweetener sprinkled over an area one third the size of a football field.

4. The main sources of dust are deteriorated paint, paint in high friction areas — such as windows and doors — and lead soil tracked in from outdoors. Remodeling activities that disturb old paint will create dust that will create a hazard for young children.

5. The only way to know if your older house contains lead hazards is for a trained and licensed professional to perform a risk assessment or, following any remodeling work, a clearance examination. Otherwise, assume old paint contains lead and take precautions accordingly.

6. If you’re hiring a contractor to do work that will disturb paint, ask questions to make sure they follow “lead-safe work practices.” Don’t hire anyone who says lead paint doesn’t pose a problem. Even if your house is new, ask about contractors’ lead-safe work practices. Those who’ve failed to follow safe practices in other homes could track in microscopic lead fragments.

7. If you’re the one doing work on your house, be sure to learn about lead paint safety. For step-by-step help, get the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Field Guide, Lead Paint Safety, free at hud.gov/offices/lead/training/LBPguide.pdf.

8. If you’re selling or renting your home, you must pass on any information you have about lead in your home to potential buyers or tenants. Buyers have 10 days to conduct a lead-based paint inspection or risk assessment at their own expense.

9. Know the difference between lead abatement and mitigation. Abaters either remove or permanently cover lead hazards and are strictly regulated and licensed by the EPA or the state. Mitigaters minimize the hazard by covering up the lead and focusing on particular danger spots but do not permanently remove the danger. Regulations for mitigation, as with any lead paint work besides abatement, are less strict and vary from state to state. The EPA (epa.gov/lead/pubs/traincert.htm) can help you locate both kinds of experts.

10. To learn more about lead safety, check out our website at leadsafety.angieslist.com or contact the National Center for Healthy Housing (centerforhealthyhousing.org) or Improving Kids’ Environment (ikecoalition.org). For an up-to-date list of recalled toys, contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission (cpsc.gov).

Source: Improving Kids’ Environment (ikecoalition.org); Angie’s List staff

Click for parent story

Have a comment about this story? E-mail us at mailbag@angieslist.com.