Lead-Based Paint Exposure in Children

• Lead-based paint is the most common high-dose source of lead exposure for children.
• About 74% of privately owned, occupied housing units in the united states built before 1980 contain lead-based paint.
• Children are exposed to lead when they ingest chips of lead-based paint or ingest paint-contaminated dust and soil.
• Many cases of lead poisoning result when homes containing lead-based paint are remodeled or renovated without precautions being taken.
• Removing lead from housing is important both for the treatment of poisoned children and for the primary prevention of childhood lead poisoning.

Lead-based paint remains the most common high-dose source of lead exposure for preschool children. Lead-based paint (containing up to 50% lead) was in widespread use through the 1940s. Although the use and manufacture of interior lead-based paint declined during the 1950s and thereafter, exterior lead-based paint and lesser amounts of interior lead-based paint continued to be available until the mid-1970s (CEH/CAPP, 1987). (Lead-based paint produced after the 1940s tended to have much lower lead concentrations than lead-based paint produced earlier.) In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the manufacture of paint containing more than 0.06% lead by weight on interior and exterior residential surfaces, toys, and furniture. Unfortunately, lead-based paint that is still available for industrial, military, and marine usage occasionally ends up being used in homes.

Nationwide, about 3 million tons of lead remain in an estimated 57 million occupied private housing units built before 1980 (representing 74% of all such housing). Of particular concern are the 14 million housing units believed to contain lead paint in unsound condition and the 3.8 million deteriorated units occupied by young children (HUD, 1990).

Pica, the repeated ingestion of nonfood substances, has been implicated in cases of lead poisoning; however, a child does not have to eat paint chips to become poisoned. More commonly, children ingest dust and soil contaminated with lead from paint which flaked or chalked as it aged or which has been disturbed during home maintenance or renovation. This lead-contaminated house dust, ingested via normal repetitive hand-to-mouth activity, is now recognized as a major contributor to the total body burden of lead in children (Bornschein et al., 1986). Because of the critical role of dust as an exposure pathway, children living in sub-standard housing and in homes undergoing renovation are at particular risk for lead poisoning.

Numerous studies have established that the risk of lead poisoning is related to the presence of lead-based paint and to the condition of such paint (ATSDR, 1988; EPA, 1986). Children who live in rehabilitated lead-free housing or who return to lead-reduced housing after undergoing medical treatment have significantly lower blood levels than children living in similar, non-rehabilitated housing (Bornschein et al., 1986; Chisolm et al., 1985). Data from several urban lead poisoning prevention programs indicate that deleading the home of a poisoned child can reduce blood lead levels substantially (Rosen et al., in press; Amitai et al., in press; G. Copley, unpublished data). Deleading or lead paint abatement can be an effective method of reducing children's exposure to dangerous levels of lead in paint and house dust if properly done (Farfel and Chisolm, in press), but may actually increase dust lead levels if not done properly (Farfel and Chisolm, 1990).

Lead paint is typically found on kitchen and bathroom walls and throughout pre-1950 homes on doors, windows, and wooden trim. The risks of lead poisoning are greater when lead paint or the underlying surface are in deteriorated condition and when lead paint (even intact paint) is located on surfaces accessible to children (EPA, 1986). Lead paint on interior and exterior window components is particularly of concern because it is abraded into dust by the repeated opening and closing of these windows (Farfel and Chisolm, 1990).

Many cases of childhood lead poisoning that result from renovation or remodeling of homes have been reported (Marino, 1990). Before older homes undergo any renovation that may generate dust, they should be tested for the presence of lead-based paint. If such paint is found, contractors experienced in working with lead-based paint should do the renovations.

There is no uniform standard for safe or allowable amounts of lead in existing painted surfaces. States and the federal government use values ranging from 0.7-1.2 mg/cm2 of wall when lead is measured using a portable x-ray fluorescence analyzer (XRF) or a standard of 0.5% lead by weight when tests are performed using laboratory analysis. These regulatory limits are based mostly on practical, not health, considerations.

Lead paint also continues to be used on the exterior of painted steel structures, such as bridges and expressways. In addition to the obvious risk to workers, increased lead absorption has been reported in children exposed to chips or dust during the deleading or maintenance of such structures (Landrigan et al., 1982).

Deleading, even when performed in the homes of children who have already been poisoned, is an important method of primary lead poisoning prevention because it reduces or removes the lead hazard from that housing unit for all future occupants. Methods for the safe abatement of residential lead paint are detailed in Chapter 8. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has primary responsibility for issues related to lead-based paint in housing.

Act now! It is essential that you inquire about your case as soon as possible. Litigation may be the only way to receive the damages to which you may be entitled, such as medical and health care bills, lost or diminished wages, and financial compensation to family in the case of death. Have your children been hurt? Your individual state's law may limit your time to bring a legal claim to protect your rights. You need to have your lead paint claim evaluated immediately!

Click To Talk To Us Online

see also:

Poisoning Prevention Lead Paint Lawyers - Lead Poisoning Prevention
CDC's lead poisoning prevention program.

Epidemiology Lead Paint Lawyers - Epidemiology
Weitz & Luxenberg has been setting the standard in personal injury law for almost 20 years. For your Lead Paint claim, choose Weitz & Luxenberg, because experience counts.

Lead Poisoning Lead Poisoning Information from Lead Paint Lawyer
Lead poisoning is a condition brought on by excessive amount of lead