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Get the lead out -- of your house, that is
Posted on Mar 30th 2007 11:00AM by Bethany SandersFiled Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Living in a home that's nearly 100 years old has its perks -- high ceilings, amazing woodwork, and plenty of character. There are also some drawbacks: a spooky cistern in the basement, the constant hum of renovation, and lead paint.
When we moved into our house, I researched lead paint pretty thoroughly, knowing we'd eventually have a family. We couldn't afford abatement, so it seemed our best bet was to cover it (mostly with drywall) or replace parts of our home altogether. Our children had their lead levels monitored at age 1, and so far, we seem to be ok.
Though we've taken pains to protect our children from the lead paint we know exists in our home, many children live in homes where families are unaware of the lead danger, don't know what to do about it, or can't afford repairs. Experts now say that children should not just be monitored for lead poisoning in their toddler years, when lead levels typically peak, but throughout their childhood. Lead exposure is known to cause learning and behavior problems, and no one really knows how lead exposure affects the older child.
Though lead tests are not as commonplace as they once were, you can still ask your pediatrician to test your child. We thought we had covered everything, but learned shortly after our older child was weaned that, though our plumbing is all updated copper, the pipes from the street to our home likely still contain lead. Running our water every morning for a few minutes can reduce our children's risk, but we also put a decent water filter on our kitchen faucet...just to be safe.
For a quick and simple tutorial on lead based paint, click here.
When we moved into our house, I researched lead paint pretty thoroughly, knowing we'd eventually have a family. We couldn't afford abatement, so it seemed our best bet was to cover it (mostly with drywall) or replace parts of our home altogether. Our children had their lead levels monitored at age 1, and so far, we seem to be ok.
Though we've taken pains to protect our children from the lead paint we know exists in our home, many children live in homes where families are unaware of the lead danger, don't know what to do about it, or can't afford repairs. Experts now say that children should not just be monitored for lead poisoning in their toddler years, when lead levels typically peak, but throughout their childhood. Lead exposure is known to cause learning and behavior problems, and no one really knows how lead exposure affects the older child.
Though lead tests are not as commonplace as they once were, you can still ask your pediatrician to test your child. We thought we had covered everything, but learned shortly after our older child was weaned that, though our plumbing is all updated copper, the pipes from the street to our home likely still contain lead. Running our water every morning for a few minutes can reduce our children's risk, but we also put a decent water filter on our kitchen faucet...just to be safe.
For a quick and simple tutorial on lead based paint, click here.
