A new report has found more lead in paint in D.C. General, D.C.'s largest homeless shelter, days after two children living at the shelter tested positive for elevated lead levels.
Lead is toxic and can cause serious and permanent health problems, especially in young children.
Paint in houses and other buildings from before 1978 is likely to contain lead. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead-based paints were very common prior to being banned in 1978. If you have paint in your house from before 1978, the CDC says to assume it contains lead until it can be tested.
Lead paint is especially dangerous when it is chipping and peeling, or when it is being sanded, which puts lead dust in the air. The National Institutes of Health says children are at risk for swallowing the paint chips or dust.
Lead can also be found in some of the following places, according to NIH:
- Painted toys and furniture from before 1976
- Painted decorations made outside the U.S.
- Lead bullets and curtain weights
- Plumbing, pipes and faucets
- Drinking water when lead solder was used to connect pipes
- Soil contaminated from car exhaust or pieces of house paint
- Art supplies
- Storage batteries
- Pewter pitchers and dinnerware
Lead exposure can be especially dangerous because symptoms may not be obvious or immediate. Small amounts of lead can build up over time before individuals show signs of lead poisoning.
According to NIH, symptoms of lead poisoning include:
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Anemia
- Constipation
- Difficulty sleeping
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Low appetite and energy
- Reduced sensations
Exposure to lead is especially hazardous for children under 6, whose brains and bodies are developing. The World Health Organization says a child absorbs four to five times as much lead as an adult from the same source. The younger the child, the more he or she is in danger.
In children, the WHO and NIH caution that lead can cause:
- Reduced IQ
- Shortened attention span
- Increased antisocial behavior
- Reduced educational attainment
- Slowed body growth
- Hearing problems
- Kidney damage
- Behavior problems
Mental and other health problems from lead exposure are likely permanent, the WHO says.
Health
There is no safe level of lead concentration in the blood, according to the CDC. Even lead at low levels can have negative effects.
Severe symptoms of lead exposure include vomiting and seizures. If you think you or somone you know has been exposed to lead, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
