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Lead Safety
Frequently Asked Questions
What is lead?
Lead is a toxic metallic element used in many household and industrial items such as paint, brass fixtures, batteries, spices, cosmetics, leaded glass, ceramics, and plastics.
Why is lead dangerous?
The effects of lead-poisoning can be devastating. Lead poisoning occurs when lead has been introduced into the bloodstream by ingestion or inhalation of lead dust or fumes. Our bodies cannot distinguish lead from other important minerals our bodies need, like iron and calcium. The body will try to use lead in place of these helpful minerals. Lead can be deposited into the blood, and soft tissues including organs like the brain.
This can result in irreversible learning disabilities, lowered intelligence, and in extreme cases of high-level lead poisoning it can be fatal. People who are able to be pregnant and children under the age of six are at a high risk. Children, both unborn and born, have bodies which are still developing. Additionally, pregnant people are at a high risk for negative consequences from lead poisoning because it can cause harm to the baby and increase the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. Lead can be detrimental to humans, and animals, of all ages.
How does lead poisoning occur?
Children can get lead poisoning in some of the following ways:
- Putting hands or toys with lead dust on them in their mouth or inhaling lead dust
- Eating lead-based paint chips that peel off the wall, chewing on windows sills, door frames or any other lead painted surface
Adults can get lead poisoning by the following:
- Inhaling lead dust or fumes during DIY home renovations in old homes, at work sites, or areas with a history of manufacturing
- It is not common, but adults can also get lead poisoning from the ingestion of lead-based paint chips
Should my child be screened for lead poisoning?
If you live in a home built before 1978, your children should be tested. This is because lead-based paint did not stop being used in homes until 1978. Children between the ages of nine months through five years are at the greatest risk for lead poisoning. Children with lead poisoning may not show signs of illness. Ask your healthcare provider to perform a blood test on your children to screen for lead in their blood. Ask the healthcare provider to explain the results. If you or your doctor has questions about the results, you should contact the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services.
Where can I get my child and/or myself tested, and how much would it cost?
Contact your private healthcare provider to arrange a lead screening for you or your child. Remember to see if there is a cost. Some private insurance policies cover the cost blood-lead level testing. Children covered by Medicaid are eligible for free screening as well as children enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
Are animals at risk of lead poisoning?
Yes, if you suspect that your pet has been exposed to lead you can request a lead test from your veterinarian. These tests can be expensive. You can reduce your pet's risk of lead poisoning by using filtered water for their drinking water. Use faucets that are made to be safe for human consumption such as the kitchen sink and water dispenser on a refrigerator. You can also ensure that your pet does not have exposure to lead paint chips which they may try to eat.
What is lead poisoning?
There is no amount of lead that is considered safe for the human body. In cases with lower amounts of lead in the body, lead poisoning can go unrecognized because there may be no obvious symptoms. Lead poisoning can affect nearly every part of the body. Calcium and iron used in the blood are affected by the presence of lead because the body tries to use lead in their place. Be sure to ask your provider about getting a blood iron test. Lead can be stored in bones for 15-30 years. It can be released during injury or pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children with blood lead levels of 3.5 µg/dL (micrograms per deciliter) or greater require medical management to lower the blood lead level. Medical management includes family education about lead exposure prevention, assistance in identifying sources of lead exposure, and a possible environmental investigation.
For more information, please contact us or your healthcare provider.
What are some of the medical problems that can occur as a result of lead poisoning?
Children and young adults with high levels of lead in their bodies may experience:
- Injury to the brain and nervous system
- Behavior and learning problems
- Slowed growth
- Hearing loss, or poor hearing
- Headaches
- Fatigue, or excessive sleepiness
- Hyperactivity
- Increased aggression
- Nausea
- Wrist or foot drop
- Significant loss of appetite
- Anemia, or low iron levels in the blood
- Seizures
- Lead Colic, or stomach issues that result in crying for more than three hours a day or are otherwise outside your child's usual behavior
- Tremors
- Miscarriage
Adults with high levels of lead in their bodies may experience:
- Difficulties during pregnancy
- Reproductive issues
- High blood pressure
- Digestive problems
- Nerve disorders
- Memory and concentration problems
- Muscle and joint pain
- Kidney damage
Is there a cure for lead poisoning?
While there is no cure, there is management and prevention. The most crucial treatment for lead poisoning is to stop the exposure. Removing the source of lead from a person's environment helps to ensure a decline in blood-lead levels. The potential for negative health effects of lead poisoning increases the longer the exposure continues. At life threatening levels of 45 µg/dL or higher, medications are used under the supervision of a doctor to lower the blood-lead level at a hospital.
How can you manage a lead-based paint problem?
It is not recommended that the average homeowner, or untrained contractor, attempt to correct a lead-based paint problem. In too many cases, lead poisoning is a result of an inexperienced person attempting to remodel an older home or correct a lead-based paint problem.
There are two primary methods of lead hazard control*:
- Abatement, or an activity designed to permanently eliminate lead-based hazards
- Replacement of contaminated building components, such as windows, doors or other parts of the house with damaged lead-based paint, or contaminated soil with uncontaminated soil
- Encapsulation using wood, vinyl, aluminum, tile, stone, cement, plaster, and special coatings to cover lead paint or lead contaminated soil on the exterior or interior of the house.
- Removal of lead-based paint using methods such as sanding, scraping, chemical stripping, sandblasting, and heat guns
- Interim Controls, or activities intended to make a dwelling lead-safe by temporarily controlling lead-based hazards
- For lead-based paint hazards, examples of interim controls are specialized cleaning, and coating lead hazards with lead-safe house paint,
- In situations where there is soil contamination, examples are laying garden mulch or landscape fabric, and planting grass.
Don't Spread Lead
How does the Wayne County Medicaid Lead Safe Home Program (MLSHP) help?
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has awarded the Wayne County Health Department a grant to provide lead hazard control services to households in Highland Park and Hamtramck. We provide the following services based on need and eligibility:
- Lead inspection/risk assessments to determine if lead hazards are present in the home
- Water sampling, to determine if there are dangerous amounts of lead in your water
- Lead abatement, to remove lead hazards from your home
- Lead service line replacement, if harmful levels of lead are found in your water
Who is eligible?
Eligible homes must be:
- Occupied by Medicaid enrollees
- Located in Highland Park or Hamtramck
- Occupied by a child 19 years of age and under or a pregnant individual
- Built before 1978
What do I do if I do not live in Highland Park or Hamtramck?
If you live in Wayne County and are not a resident of the City of Detroit, you can apply for lead home services through the MDHHS program.
MDHHS Application for Lead Services (michigan.gov)
MDHHS Application for Lead Services (michigan.gov)
Detroit residents can reach out to the City of Detroit's Health Department. Information about Detroit's lead program can be found here:
Lead Program | City of Detroit (detroitmi.gov)
Lead Program | City of Detroit (detroitmi.gov)
Who is eligible for the MDHHS program?
- Household with a child, or where the child is a frequent visitor, with a venous 3.5 or higher
- Must meet low-income requirements
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