Tips to Keep Your Child Safe From Lead Paint Poisoning
The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties just announced that they are investing $1 Million into a three-year initiative to help eliminate lead poisoning from paint and other sources in Oneida and Herkimer Counties. They can't do it alone! It's important for parents and guardians to know all about what it takes to prevent exposure to lead paint.
Many of the homes in Central New York were built during a time where lead paint and other lead based chemicals were used frequently. That is one of the main reasons behind this "Lead Free MV" campaign. The CDC has a number of ways that you can protect your child from lead exposure including,
1. Make sure your child does not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.
2. Children and pregnant women should not be present in housing built before 1978 that is undergoing renovation.
3. Create barriers between living/play areas and lead sources.
4. Regularly wash children’s hands and toys.
5. Regularly wet-mop floors and wet-wipe window components.
6. Take off shoes when entering the house to prevent bringing lead-contaminated soil in from outside.
7. Prevent children from playing in bare soil; if possible, provide them with sandboxes.
One of the most important things to remember is the part about the soil in the yard around your home. If renovations on a home built before 1978 were done, whether it be a new paint job or any other project, paint chips containing lead may be embedded in that soil and that could potentially taint gardens or other growth in that area. Old bathtubs can be a danger as well. For a full list of lead safety precautions you can visit the CDC website.
The hope of the "Lead Free MV" initiative, according to WIBX news, is to eradicate childhood lead poisoning by 2030.