Lead
and Your Health
WHAT
IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING ABOUT LEAD AND HEALTH?
 The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health, has been
studying the health effects of lead for more than 20 years.
Information from these studies supported the move to get lead
out of gasoline, contributing to cleaner air.
Today, NlEHS-supported
scientists and doctors are looking into just how low levels
of lead injure people, and what the most effective treatment
may be, particularly for lead-poisoned children. These scientists
are asking whether the effects of lead can be reversed or prevented
once exposure occurs.
The Federal Government
has undertaken a broad range of education and prevention efforts.
The Centers for Disease Control is one of the leaders in the
community public health effort; the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences is doing much of the needed research to make
the public health effort work.  The purpose of all these efforts is to reduce the
number of people injured by lead.
WHAT
CAN I DO TO PROTECT MY CHILD AND FAMILY?
Know what and where
the lead is in your environment.
Ask your community
health department about lead in your tapwater for drinking and
cooking. If the health department thinks there's reason to be
concerned, have your water tested.
Meanwhile, if your
house is fairly new but was built before 1986, before the ban
on lead solder for water pipes, flush the water lines by opening
the spigot for a minute or two before drawing water for morning
coffee or cooking or drinking.
If your house is
more than 15 years old, it may have once had lead-based paint
on it. Ask your community health department how to test the
surfaces a child can reach to see if there's lead in paint there.
Seal sound surfaces with fresh paint.
 If you need to repair or remove lead-painted surfaces,
get a professional who is trained to do the work safely. Keep
your child away from the area during the work and if you're
pregnant, stay away, too.  The area should be wet mopped by the removal workers often during the
job. Check with your local health department for information
on how to have the leaded paint removed safely.
If you have any doubts
about your child's possible exposure to lead, see the doctor
and ask whether your child should be tested.
Your child's doctor
knows how to get the test done and the doctor can tell you what
you need to do, if anything, when the test comes back.
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