By Tricia L. Chaves
Tainted water in Flint, Mich., captured the nation’s headlines this spring, yet many Cleveland-area parents are unaware of our area’s own chemical crisis — lead-based paint and plumbing materials, which were commonplace in the construction of homes built before 1978.
Lead, a toxic metal found in the earth, is poisonous to humans and particularly harmful to children ages 6 and younger. According to the Ohio Department of Health, 42 percent of Ohio’s homes were built before 1950, totaling 3.7 million residences that are assumed to have lead-based paint hazards.
Lead can be passed from a pregnant mother to her fetus during gestation and to nursing infants through a mother’s milk. Tummy time and hand-to-mouth behavior puts exploratory infants at particular risk for lead exposure.
When ingested, lead replaces calcium and iron in the body, and damages the nervous system. Lead poisoning can have lifelong effects and be lethal.
Testing is recommended at age 1, and required by the Ohio Board of Health at ages 1 and 2 if the child is a recipient of Medicaid, or if you reside in one of the state’s high-risk zip codes, which can be found by visiting odh.ohio.gov.
Reducing your family’s risk for lead exposure and its harmful effects an approach that includes adding key items to your diet, examining and cleaning your environment, and proper testing and treatment. Reducing your risk of lead poisoning should be an integral part of your childproofing and home-safety priorities.
Dr. Sara Bohac, a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic, recommends frequently washing your baby’s hands and any toys that have been on the floor.
“Also, incorporating foods with iron and calcium into your child’s diet can help the body fight lead absorption.” Bohac says. “Beans, fruits, lean meats, vegetables and calcium-rich yogurt and low-fat milk are all good choices.”
The following are some recommendations to reduce lead risk:
- Keep batteries and leaded fishing equipment out of reach of children, as they can be deadly if ingested.
- Remove footwear at the entryway to your home and opt for socks or slippers to reduce the risk of tracking lead indoors from dirt around your yard.
- Use a HEPA vacuum around your home to remove dust particles from your carpet and debris from old paint on porches, railings, window sills and stairs.
- Wash areas where paint dust or flakes are present using a damp, soapy rag.
- When abatement isn’t an option due to cost or logistics, encapsulating lead-based paint (by thoroughly sealing it with a couple coats of fresh paint) will mitigate risk, according to general contractor Joe Burdick of Broadview Heights. A grant program for lead abatement is available for income-eligible parents in Cleveland by calling 216-263-5323.
Call The Northern Ohio Poison Center at 800-222-1222 for more information on where to obtain testing and treatment for lead exposure.
