On June 9, 2009, Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, issued The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes. The Call to Action tackles a host of safety issues in the home, from falls down stairs to burn injuries to drowning in bathtubs. It also tackles important environmental issues, including lead and radon, issues that are near and dear to my heart. So, I thought in this 5 part series we could tackle some of the environmental issues that affect your home, and identify simple steps to reduce or eliminate exposure. As the Call to Action states, healthy homes lead healthier lives.

So, let’s talk about lead first.

Lead remains an environmental contaminant in our homes, a toxic legacy mostly from lead use in paint. Other sources of lead in the home include lead water pipes and solder used in plumbing; brass faucets, particularly older, imported brass faucets; toys; jewelry; ceramics; herbal and folk remedies; and more. Many of us dismiss the risk of exposure to lead, believing that the ban of lead in paints and gasoline have solved the problem. But, lead remains, even today, the number one preventable childhood environmental poison.

Children are particularly sensitive to lead exposure because of their smaller size, greater rate of lead absorption, and ongoing development. Since the 1970s, because of a number of regulatory programs, the average blood lead levels (“blls”) of US children have declined significantly, almost 80%. But, children are still exposed to lead. More importantly, new data indicates that blls once believed to be safe are not. Several recent studies indicate that children with blls at 2.0 ug/dL exhibit adverse health effects (well below the current “level of concern” of 10 ug/dL). Studies suggest a significant loss of IQ occurs in children with blls less than 7.5 ug/dL. Keep in mind that 1 out of every 10 US children has a blood lead level above 5 ug/dL.

Many moms have told me that they don’t have to worry about lead because they live in a “nice house” and their children don’t “lick the walls.” But lead exposure isn’t about living in a nice house or not eating paint chips. HUD estimates that 25% of the nation’s housing stock contains significant lead based paint hazards.

We are exposed to lead primarily by ingestion and inhalation. Children are more likely to engage in activities that can lead to lead exposure, such as mouthing activities. Video studies of young children demonstrate that they put objects into their mouths more than 20 times per hour. If dirt on their hands or those items contains lead, children will get a shot of lead each and every time they engage in mouthing activities. In fact, thumb-sucking and other hand-to-mouth behaviors may account for as much as 80% of child lead-related exposures. On average, children under six will retain about 50% of the lead that reaches their digestive tract, and will also retain about 50% of the lead that they inhale. In comparison, adults only absorb about eleven percent (11%) of the lead they ingest.

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