LEAD
POISONING
PROTECT YOUR CHILD
By ANDREA BONINA
With
the dangers facing children today, a lot of
parents feel their children are safest at
home.
But if you live in an older building your
child may be at risk from a hidden danger:
Lead Poisoning.
LEAD HAZARDS
Lead poisoning affects virtually every system
of a child's body. It can cause central nervous
system, kidney, and reproductive system damage,
and in severe cases coma, seizures and even
death.
It
causes decreased intelligence, behavioral
disorders, and a host of neurological problems
that can cause irreversible and permanent
damage to your child.
The
Center for Disease Control estimates that more than 890,000 children
in the United States between the ages of 1
and 5 have
increased
lead levels, even though it is an injury that
is entirely preventable.
Most
children with lead poisoning do not show obvious
symptoms. Irritability, weight loss and not
wanting to play can be attributed to dozens
of other common childhood illnesses.
The only certain way to know if your child
has been exposed to lead is to have their
blood tested for lead levels.
Medicaid covers testing for children between
6 and 72 months of age. If you need a referral
to a pediatrician or lab for this testing
you can call the local Health Department to find out
where this can be done at a low cost or for
free, depending on your income.
 Very young children and babies are most at
risk for lead poisoning.
This is because they frequently have their
hands in their mouths. If there is dust from
lead paint in your home where children crawl
and play, this is extremely dangerous.
Young children are also at a greater risk
because their bodies absorb more lead than
an adult body does and because their bodies
are growing so quickly.
DANGERS IN THE HOME
Many people believe that because lead paint
has been outlawed for household use for many
years that it is no longer a problem, however,
that is simply not true.
The
older paint gets, the more likely it is to chip
or peel, and those paint chips, and the dust they
create, are very dangerous.
Lead paint has been banned for household use since
1960 within the City of New York and since 1978
throughout the rest of the State of New York. Nationally,
20% of all housing built between 1959 and 1974 has
some lead paint, 70% of the housing built between
1940 and 1959 has some lead paint and 99% of the
housing built before 1940 has some lead paint.
In New York City Local Law 38 sets forth the rules
which can protect your child from the hazards of
lead paint within your home.
Local Law 38 defines a lead hazard as peeling paint,
or paint under deteriorated sub surfaces in a multiple
dwelling (i.e. 3 apartments or more) built before
1960 where a child under the age of 6 resides.
Owners of multiple dwellings are required to investigate
whether children reside in the premises.
They must inquire if a child under the age of 6
is going to reside in the premises when a lease
is being signed or renewed. They are also required
to send yearly notices to tenants inquiring whether
children under the age of 6 reside with them.
If a tenant does not respond to these notices or
otherwise disclose or advise the landlord that a
child under the age of 6 resides with them, the
owner does not have to inspect for lead hazards.
It is very important for the parent of a young child
who lives in an old building to promptly return
any forms regarding the ages of children in your
home to the owners of your building.
When an owner becomes aware of
a lead hazard they must repair it. Owners are required
to follow special procedures in correcting these
hazards because a careless repair job can make matters
even worse.
If you live in an old apartment or home look carefully
at all painted surfaces to make sure they are in
good condition.
Paint that may have lead in it that is chipping,
flaking, peeling or chalking presents a serious
risk, not just in creating paint chips but also
by creating dust that can get on a child's hand
and get to their mouth easily.
Keep
children away from any areas where there is chipping,
flaking, peeling or chalking paint.
PROTECTING YOUR CHILD
Parents of young children should take special precautions.
Babies and young children, especially when they
are teething, love to put their hands and toys in
their mouths. This puts them at greater risk for
ingesting lead through lead paint dust.
Make sure your child does not chew on window sills
or other chewable surfaces which could possibly
be painted with lead based paint.
Make
sure that you wash toys and pacifiers frequently
and that your child's hands are clean before he
or she eats. Wash your child's hands
and feet before bedtime, and
make sure any cloth or plush toys they chew on are
washed regularly.
If you have uncarpeted floors mop your floors at
least once a week using a heavy duty cleaner. Do
not vacuum them, as vacuuming will disperse small
particles of lead dust and can make matters worse.
It is especially important to make certain your
child has good nutrition. More lead is absorbed
on an empty stomach. Make certain that your child
eats regular meals and that their diet contains
plenty of iron and calcium. When preparing foods,
make sure you work on a clean surface and are cooking
on a clean surface.
Since the only way to diagnose lead poisoning is
by a blood test, it is important to make sure that
your children get tested for lead at their regular
check-ups.
If you are planning renovations that may create
dust or paint chips containing lead, make sure the
job is done by an experienced, trained professional.
Some methods for removing lead paint are actually
more dangerous than leaving the paint alone. For
example, scraping or sanding can create large amount
of hazardous lead dust. After the project is completed
mop and clean all surfaces thoroughly with a heavy
duty household cleaner.
WHERE TO GET HELP?
To learn more about lead poisoning and preventing
lead poisoning in your children you can visit the Center
for Disease Control’s web site or link to that
site through the Bonina & Bonina links
page. |
