lead paint Safety 

Most of us know that lead paint is hazardous to children. 

Lead poisoning can cause severe anemia and permanent brain damage.

What many of us don't realize, however, is that children's bodies can harbor dangerous levels of lead without their ever gnawing on a single paint chip. 

So get rid of that picture in your mind of a child pulling paint chips off the window from his crib. 

The problem is usually exposure to lead good dust, onto which particles of lead paint have settled. 

These safety tips can help you deal with this home threat.

The Dangers of Lead Paint Dust

Lead paint dust results from the normal friction of opening and closing drawers, doors, windows, and door frames coated with lead paint. Tiny fragments can fly into the air and later settle on the floor - well within reach of small hands and mouths.

Lead dust and chips can also be found outside the home, with the densest concentrations within three feet of a home's exterior.

This is usually the result of the peeling and chipping of exterior lead-based paint or lead dust released by recent renovations or repainting.

Although lead poisoning can also harm older children and adults, the threat is worst for children under 6 and for fetuses exposed to lead through their mother's bloodstream. 

Good options include covering the area with wallpaper, paneling, or new lead-free paint. Once lead-painted surfaces are covered, they are generally safe unless they are re-exposed, scraped, or start to chip or peel.

If you have small children, you'll need to do a bit more to keep them safe from lead poisoning. Wash a child's hands, face, and toys frequently, mop hard surface floors, windowsills, and baseboards at least once a week (don't use the mop for anything else).

Load your children's diet with iron-rich foods, including lean meats, beans, spinach, tuna, eggs, and greens. Iron helps block some absorption of lead.

Exterior House Paint Precautions

Outside, plant grass or another ground cover as a barrier between your children and lead in the soil, from chipping, peeling exterior paint, or car exhaust fumes that settle on the ground.

And if you live in or plan to buy a pre-1978 home, consider hiring a trained professional to do an assessment. Kits for home testing for leaded paint are also available.

Some of these kits can also test for other sources of lead, such as in handmade, brightly colored or imported dishes, mugs and dinnerware, which can leach hazardous amounts of lead into your food and drink.

Be aware that leaded crystal can leach lead into stored liquids, particularly acidic beverages such as wine or juice. Vigilance in mitigating or eliminating lead dust will go a long way toward keeping your kids safe at home.