No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Below are important facts about lead exposure and its potentially harmful effects:

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• Lead is toxic, especially in young children. When lead is breathed in or swallowed, it can result in damage to the brain and nervous system, learning and behavior problems, slow growth and development, and hearing and speech problems. Public health actions are needed for children with higher levels of lead in their blood compared to most children.

• Children younger than 6 years of age are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure. This is because their bodies are still developing and growing rapidly. Young children also tend to put their hands or other objects, which may be contaminated with lead dust, into their mouths.

• Lead poisoning is preventable! The key is preventing children from coming into contact with lead. • About 3.3 million American households with children under 6 years old have lead exposure hazards from lead in deteriorated paint, or dust, or soil—including 2.1 million low income households.

• Lead can be found inside and outside the home. A common source of exposure is from deteriorated lead-based paint, which was used inside and outside many homes built before 1978 and in other buildings and steel structures, which may be nearby or adjacent to homes. Children can be exposed by swallowing or breathing in lead dust created by old paint that has cracked or chipped, eating paint chips, or chewing on surfaces coated with lead dust and/or lead-based paint, such as window sills.

– Lead exposure can happen during renovation, repair, and painting jobs in a pre-1978 home. Basic Lead Poisoning Information Lead poisoning or lead toxicity refers to exposures to lead that result in illness and require immediate medical attention. It is used to describe cases when there are severe health effects related to high blood lead levels.

– Lead may also be found in drinking water. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. Use the Protect Your Tap guide at www.epa. gov/protectyourtap to find out if you have lead pipes in your home.

– Lead naturally occurs in soil. In many places across the United States and its territories, the amount of lead in soil is significantly higher than naturally occurring levels due to industrial and human activities. Lead-contaminated soil can become a source of lead exposure if accidentally ingested when it gets on family members’ hands when playing in the yard, working in soil, gardening, or when tracked inside on shoes, clothing or pets.

• Other potential sources of lead include items made in other countries and imported into the United States such as toys, painted furniture, metal or plastic jewelry, health remedies, foods and candies, cosmetics, powders, or make-up used in religious and cultural practices, lead-glazed pottery or porcelain, and collectibles that get passed down.

• Some children are at greater risk for lead exposure than others, including those who are: – From families with lower incomes, – Living with adults whose jobs or hobbies involve working with lead, – Members of certain racial-ethnic minority groups, – Recent immigrants, refugees, or international adoptees, or – Living in poorly maintained homes or apartments built before 1978.

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• Children and pregnant people may crave nonfood items (a condition known as "pica") that may contain lead, such as soil, clay, or crushed pottery.