National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week - 2020
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The goal of the week of recognition is to encourage organized, local community events, and to empower families and other stakeholders to take action to help prevent lead poisoning.
According to the NLPPW sponsors, approximately 3.6 million American households have children under 6 years of age who live in homes with lead exposure hazards. The CDC also reports that about 500,000 American children between ages of 1 and 5 years have blood lead levels greater than or equal to the level of blood lead reference value (BLRV), the level at which the agency recommends public health actions.
Much of the lead poisoning is due to the fact that the toxic heavy metal can still be found inside and outside of many homes. This includes the home’s water and the soil around the house in some cases; however, the most common source of exposure is from lead-based paint, which was used in many homes built before 1978. Both adults and children can get lead into their bodies by breathing in lead dust (especially during activities such as renovations, repairs or painting) or by swallowing lead dust that settles in food, food preparation surfaces, floors, window sills and other places, or eating paint chips or soil that contain lead. Children can also be exposed to lead dust from an adult’s job or hobbies, and from some metal toys or toys painted with lead-based paints.
Fortunately, lead poisoning is preventable with increased testing and education. Environmental testing for lead, in painted surfaces, dust, water, soil and from other sources, can be instrumental for identifying exposure risks to protect children, families and workers in occupations that could exposure them to lead hazards. Once identified, these risks can be eliminated or mitigated to prevent lead poisoning.
These are just a few things to know about National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. To learn more about this or other building science, occupational, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark https://www.csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. https://www.emsl.com
LA Testing https://www.latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental https://www.zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine https://www.healthyindoors.com