by Wendy

The US Center for Disease Control recently made an announced the lowered the set lead poisoning threshold by half, making the number of cases of children under the age of 6 at risk to rise almost 6 times the previous average, from 77,000 to 442,000 cases.

Lead poisoning is toxic to everyone and no level of lead in your system is safe. It harms tissues and organs, such as the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, reproductive and nervous systems. Since lead poisoning also interferes with the development of the nervous system, it is especially toxic to children and can cause potential learning and behavior disabilities. Unsafe levels of lead in your blood can cause symptoms that range from headaches, stomach pains, anemia, confusion and irritability.

Let’s work to keep our children safe. Here are a few tips on how to remove and prevent any potential exposure of lead in your home environment:

Repair Chipped and Peeling Paint and Vacuum Frequently – paint, especially from older homes, can flack off, get into the air and settle on toys and other surfaces, such as carpet, tabletops and windowsills

Eliminate Lead-Containing Objects – such as bowls sealed with lead paint, some blinds, toys and jewelry that have stained glass, ink, paint, and plaster

Keeping Kids Hands Clean - wash their hands frequently and discourage them from putting them in their mouth to avoid picking up bacteria and other contaminates on the ground or on common surfaces

Increase Intake of Calcium and Iron – good nutrition can help reduce the amount of lead that’s absorbed in a child’s body

Run the Faucets in the Morning – helps to flush out the most contaminated water from old lead pipes

Use Only Cold Water from the Faucets – hot water contains higher amounts of lead than cold water

What are some other tips that can help prevent lead poisoning?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.