| Lead Investigation and Remediation |
Lead Poisoning
What is lead poisoning?
Lead is a neurotoxic metallic element that can be absorbed by the body, primarily through the lungs and stomach. Lead poisoning occurs when too much lead accumulates in the body. Generally, lead poisoning occurs slowly, resulting from the gradual accumulation of lead in bone and tissue after repeated exposure. However, it is important to note that young children absorb 50% of a lead ingestion while adults absorb only 10%.
Why is lead poisoning dangerous?
Left untreated, lead poisoning can damage many internal organs, including the kidney, nervous system and brain. Because of the possibility of permanent impairment, lead poisoning is particularly dangerous during the critical development periods of infants and young children under the age of 7 years.
Who is at risk for lead poisoning?
It is commonly believed that lead poisoning affects only the urban poor. While exposure risk is higher in deteriorating inner-city neighborhoods, this disease occurs in all social and economic groups. Middle-class children can become exposed to lead dust during renovations of older homes. In any case, children under the age of 3 are especially at risk because they crawl or play at ground level. They also put everything into their mouths and their small bodies absorb and accumulate toxic lead amounts more quickly than adults.
Some common myths about lead
"I've heard that eating a single paint chip causes lead poisoning."
False: Lead poisoning develops after repeated exposures to substances containing small amounts of lead, such as paint chips, dust, soil or eating from lead-glazed dishes. Since 1977, paints produced in the United States do not contain lead.
Doesn't eating pencil lead cause lead poisoning?
False: Pencil "lead" is now made of graphite, which contains no lead.
Sources of lead exposure in children
- Lead-based paint chips, interior and exterior paint
(before 1977)
- Old window glaze
- Soil, especially in dense urban areas
- Dust and debris from older building renovation
- Drinking water
- Playground soil
- Household dust
- Imported plastic mini blinds
- Water boiled in leaded pots and pans
- Foreign cosmetics: Kohl, Surina
- Foreign cold medicines: Azarcon 93.5%, (also Rueda, Coral, Alarcon, Liga, Maria Luisa); Pay-loo-ah 90% lead with arsenic; Yogran Guggulu
- Soil from smelter area
- Ceramics
- Old newsprint
- Leaded crystal
- Leaded gasoline fumes
- Leaded soldering fumes
- Leaded foil wine bottle caps
- Leaded residue from tainted soil or air in some fruits and vegetables
- Certain inks
- Heroin
- Bootleg whiskey
- Bone meal or dolomite supplements
- Auto battery storage casings
- Home smelting of lead shot and bullets
- Fishing tackle and decoy weights
Common symptoms of lead poisoning in adults
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Heart failure
- Abdominal pain
- Gout
- Kidney failure
- High blood pressure
- Wrist or foot weakness
- Reproductive problems
- Anemia
Common symptoms of lead poisoning in children
- Decreased appetite
- Stomach ache
- Sleeplessness
- Learning problems
- Constipation
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Tiredness
- Lowered I.Q.
- Anemia
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Who should be tested for possible lead poisoning?
- Children who are anemic
- Children with learning or behavioral problems
- Children who have been treated with foreign folk-medicines that contain high lead content
- Children who have a sibling, housemate or playmate being followed or treated for an elevated lead level.
- Children who live in or regularly visit a house with peeling or chipping paint built before 1960. This also includes day-care, pre-school or the babysitter's house.
- Children living with an adult whose job or hobby involves exposure to lead. Lead dust can be brought home on the adult's clothes and contaminate a child's environment.
- Children living near environmental sources of lead, such as battery manufacturing plants, lead smelters, battery recycling plants or other lead industries.
How do I get my children tested for lead?
All children enrolled in Medicaid are required to have a blood lead test at 12 months and again at 24 months of age. According to a statement released by the Center for Disease Control, data indicate some adverse effects have been documented in children with blood levels as low as 10 mcg/dl of whole blood. Call Carteret County Health Department at 252-728-8550 to see if your child is eligible for free testing or contact your physician to request a blood test specifically for lead levels. Only a few drops of blood from a child's finger are needed to test for lead.
Is treatment available for lead poisoning?
Yes, effective treatments to remove lead from the body are available through your physician. First, the blood is tested and, if the levels are too high, treatment can be started. A recent study demonstrated that a child's I.Q. could improve if blood lead levels are lowered by medical treatment.
What is the incidence of lead poisoning in Carteret County?
Fortunately, the incidence is low. Most of the buildings are relatively new, thanks to the new home building trends of the last 20-25 years. There are pockets of older and historic homes in the county that may have lead paint hazards, but for some reason there has been a lower rate of childhood lead poisoning in this county in comparison to other counties. But we can never have false confidence that lead poisoning does not exist. If you have concerns, speak to your physician.
What should I do if I suspect there is lead in my home?
If you have young children, are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, have a thorough lead risk assessment done by a professional contractor who does not also do abatement work to avoid a conflict of interest. Assessment will typically involve a range of methods, including: visual inspection of paint condition and location; lab tests of paint samples; and surface dust tests. Several kits that test for the presence of lead in various sources are now available. There are certified contractors who will check your home for a fee. Contact the North Carolina Health Hazards Control Unit at 919-733-0820 for a listing of North Carolina Lead Certified Inspectors or Risk Assessors. Carteret County Health Department does lead based paint investigations for free in the homes of children who are found to have elevated blood lead levels. For more information on identifying environmental lead hazards, please contact the Carteret County Environmental Health Department at 252-728-8499.
Can I remove lead paint from my home myself?
Lead paint removal should be done only by trained, certified professionals who are experienced in working with hazardous materials and special equipment. Beginning April 22, 2010, federal law requires that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb more than six square feet of paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and trained to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. For more information concerning the law go to http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm. Protect your family and make sure you only hire a contractor who is in a Lead-Safe Certified Firm. Find a Lead-Safe Certified Firm near you.
How can we reduce our risk of lead exposure?
- If lead paint has been found in your house, eliminate contaminated dust by using a solution of TSP (trisodium phosphate) and water. Damp-mop floors and clean other surfaces with a cloth or sponge that will not be re-used on dishes, eating, drinking or cooking utensils.
- Block painted windowsills and moldings with heavy furniture to keep children away.
- Install vinyl siding over exterior lead painted surfaces.
- Plant grass for dust control.
- Reduce children's contact with soil if your house was built before 1978 or is near a major highway.
- Plant bushes near exterior walls to keep children away.
- Test your water for lead safety through recommendations from local water suppliers or government agencies.
- Run tap water for 60 seconds before using it whenever the water may have been standing awhile.
- Use cold water for drinking, cooking and making infant formula because it carries less lead. (Boiling the water concentrates the lead.)
- Check pottery, china and leaded glassware for lead content.
For additional information about lead, see the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services lead poisoning web page at www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/lead.html or call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) or Carteret County Environmental Health at 252-728-8499.
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Lead Investigations
When a child under the age of six (6) is identified with an elevated blood lead level, the state requires that an environmental lead investigation be done. The county Environmental Health Specialist and the Regional State Lead Specialist visit the residence of the child and any other places frequently visited by the child. The parent/guardian or other caregiver is interviewed to identify any risky behavior or exposure that may have contributed to the child's elevated blood lead level.
During the investigation, an X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer (XRF) is used to determine the percentage of lead content of painted surfaces. Dust, water paint and soil samples may also be collected and sent to the State Lab for Public Health to be analyzed. Based on the results of the XRF and the samples taken, certain lead remediation procedures may be required of the property owners.
A report is written and given to the property owner and the parent. Follow up sampling must be done to make sure that identified lead hazards have been made inaccessible to children under the age of six who visit the premises in question.
If lead hazards are identified in childcare centers, the parents of all children under the age of six who attend the childcare center must be notified. It is recommended that those children be tested for elevated blood lead levels.
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Professional Responsibilities
Recognizing that families have a right to know about lead-based paint and potential lead hazards in their homes, Congress directed EPA and HUD to work together to develop disclosure requirements for sales and leases of older housing. These requirements became effective in 1996:
- LANDLORDS and SELLERS have to disclose known information on lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect or sales are final. Leases and contracts must include a federal form about old lead paint. Landlords and sellers must also give buyers and renters the government brochure, Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home.
- BUYERS have up to 10 days to conduct a lead-based paint inspection or risk assessment at their own expense.
In June 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Pre-Renovation Education Rule (PRE) and requires that Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home(English) or Proteja a Su Familia en Contra del Plomo en Su Casa (Spanish) be distributed to residents of pre-1978 housing before beginning any renovation or remodeling activities. The PRE requires written acknowledgement from the client that he or she has received the pamphlet. Alternatively, the contractor can send the pamphlet by certified mail. Contractors should keep this documentation in their files.
Beginning April 22, 2010, federal law requires that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb more than six square feet of paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and trained to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. For more information concerning the law go to http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm
Lead Information and Resources
Visit the NLIC on the Internet at their website.
For renovation information:
National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323)
Downloads
Below, you may download the One Page Lead Fact Sheet in Word or PDF format:
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