BE AWARE! If your home pre-dates 1970 you should expect to come across surfaces previously coated with lead-based
paint. The older the building, the greater the amount of lead in paint there is likely to be.
Approximately 80%
of the lead ingested by children, in the form of dust (and paint chips), is the result of normal play and hand-to-mouth activity.
The same applies to adults in non-work settings, such as in the home.
There are a number
of things you can do right now to minimise children's (and your) lead exposure risk:
1) Remove,
or keep away from, the source of exposure. As a
temporary measure apply a
coat of clear varnish to seal in any
dust on damaged surfaces.
2) Regularly use a HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner on all horizontal
surfaces. This includes all flooring, carpets, upholstery and
anywhere else
that dust can collect. Now you have a use for all
those vacuum attachments!
3) Regularly use a wet mop/cloth, with a solution of tri-phosphate-
containing* dishwasher detergent, to wipe down hard surfaces such
as floors, countertops and
windowsills.
4) ALWAYS wash your face and hands before eating, drinking or
smoking.
5) Understand the problem and your options
for Testing for Lead in
Paint, Dust and Blood.
