About Lead in Paint

Overview

Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust can cause lead exposure for young children. They are considered some of the most widespread and hazardous sources for lead exposure for children in the United States.

Approximately 29 million housing units have lead-based paint hazards including deteriorated paint and lead-contaminated house dust. About 2.6 million of these are home to young children.

Exposure

Lead-based paints were banned for residential use in 1978. Homes built in the U.S. before 1978 are likely to have some lead-based paint. When the paint peels and cracks, it makes lead paint chips and dust. Any surface covered with lead-based paint where the paint may wear by rubbing or friction is likely to cause lead dust. Lead dust is common in many areas including windows, doors, floors, porches, stairways, and cabinets.

Children can be exposed to lead if they chew on surfaces coated with lead-based paint, such as windowsills and door edges. They can also be exposed if they eat flaking paint chips or eat or breathe in lead dust.

Find out if your home has lead based paint

You can get a lead paint inspection and/or a risk assessment to find out whether there is lead in your home.

A lead paint inspection tells you the lead content of every painted structural part (doors, walls, windows, etc.) of your home. However, it won't tell you whether the paint is a hazard or how you should deal with it.

A risk assessment tells you if there are any serious lead hazards, such as peeling paint and lead dust. Risk assessments will also tell you what actions to take to address these hazards.

Prevention tips

If your home is built before 1978:

• Ask your state or local health department about testing paint and dust from your home for lead.
• Make sure your child does not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.
• Regularly wet-mop floors and horizontal surfaces because household dust can be a major source of lead. Windowsills and wells can also contain high levels of leaded dust, so they should also be kept free of dust.

Lead exposure prevention during renovation

• If you have peeling or chipping lead-based paint, have it removed by qualified professionals. There are standards for certifying lead-based paint professionals to ensure the work is done safely, reliably, and effectively.
• Make sure to renovate safely. Common renovation activities (like sanding, cutting, replacing windows, and more) can create hazardous lead dust. If you're planning renovations, use contractors certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Keep children and pregnant people away from housing undergoing renovation and from participating in activities that disturb old paint or in cleaning up paint debris after work is completed.
• Regularly wash children's hands that can become contaminated from household dust or exterior soil.

Lead exposure prevention for children and pregnant people

• Create barriers between living/play areas and lead sources until environmental clean-up is completed. You can apply barriers, such as contact paper or duct tape, to cover holes in walls or to temporarily block children's access to sources of lead.
• Regularly wash children's hands that can become contaminated from household dust or exterior soil.
• Make sure your child does not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.

Testing children for lead exposure

You should contact your healthcare provider if you think you or your child has been exposed to lead in water. Most children and adults who are exposed to lead have no symptoms.

The best way to tell if someone has been exposed is with a blood lead test. A health care provider can decide whether a blood lead test is needed. They may also recommend appropriate follow-up actions if a child has been exposed. As levels of lead in the blood increase, adverse effects from lead may also increase.

Resources

Additional CDC resources

Additional resources