Protect Your Children from Lead

Children who crawl on the floor, put toys in their mouths, or play in soil around their home or daycare can be poisoned. Good habits and a clean home will go a long way towards reducing the risk of exposure to lead. Here are some guidelines you can follow every day:

• Wash children’s hands and face with soap and water, especially before they eat. Wash toys every week.
• Keep down lead-based paint dust with housekeeping. Wipe windowsills, floors, and other surfaces with paper towels, warm water and soap once a week. Rinse well.
• Never sweep, vacuum, or dry dust in a room that has lead dust. Those cleaning methods will stir it up as opposed to removing the harmful dust. This includes porches, which were often painted with lead-based paint.
• Don’t let children chew or put their mouths on windowsills. Keep cribs away from windowsills and walls.
• Have children play in grassy areas instead of soil. Lead dust has been known to settle in soil.
• Make sure your children eat at least three meals a day. Less lead is absorbed when children have food in their system
• Give your children foods high in iron and calcium. When a child does not have enough iron or calcium in his or her body, the body mistakes lead for these nutrients.
• Teach your children about the dangers of lead and their role in keeping themselves safe.