Lead Poisoning: What Increases Your Risk

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What Increases Your Risk

Children

Age and environment determine a child's risk for lead poisoning. Young children who live in housing built before 1978 (before lead paint was banned) are at risk. Lead paint was used even more in housing built before 1950.¹⁰ Recent or ongoing house renovation can increase the risk of lead exposure if lead paint is being removed. Very young children are more likely to ingest lead by touching or playing in lead-contaminated soil or dust and then putting their hands in their mouths. They may also chew on or lick toys, jewelry, or woodwork (such as windowsills) painted with lead-based paint.

In 2007, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found high lead content in many children’s toys and jewelry made in other countries. For a complete list of recalled products, see the CPSC Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Children who come from low-income families are more likely to have high levels of lead in the blood because they are more likely to be exposed to lead-contaminated soil and dust or deteriorated paint in older housing. Children who are immigrants, refugees, or adoptees from other countries may also be more likely to get lead poisoning.³

Babies, toddlers, and young children up to 6 years old are more likely to have problems from lead poisoning because of their:

• Behavior. Babies and toddlers explore their world by handling, mouthing, chewing, or tasting whatever they find, which may include paint chips or dirt with lead in it. Children also play close to the ground, where they may breathe in lead-contaminated dust. In addition, children who have ongoing pica (a condition in which a person craves substances that are not food) are at risk.⁴
• Growth stage. Babies and toddlers are easily affected because of their small body size and because their brains and bodies are growing and developing rapidly.

Inadequate iron intake is being studied for links to increased absorption of lead. It's possible that increasing iron intake in children at high risk for lead poisoning may slow the absorption of lead.¹⁰

Adults

The risk of lead poisoning for adults depends mostly on whether they have jobs or hobbies that involve exposure to lead. It may not always be obvious when there is lead in the workplace. For example, people who work in construction or do remodeling may inhale lead while scraping or sanding wood that has lead-based paint on it. People who work with lead can bring it home on their clothes, shoes, and hair, and expose others in the house. Adults may also be exposed to lead from cups or dishes with ceramic glazes or from natural or traditional remedies or supplements that contain lead. Some cosmetics manufactured outside of the United States also contain lead.

The risk of lead poisoning increases if you drink homemade liquor made in stills built with lead solder, especially "moonshine whiskey" made in the southern U.S.⁴

Last updated:	June 26, 2008
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics, R. Steven Tharratt, MD, MPVM, FACP, FCCP - Pulmonology, Critical Care, Medical Toxicology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC