Lead Poisoning Prevention

If you are an adult with concerns about your own lead exposure, contact your healthcare provider about getting a blood lead test.

• Touching lead-contaminated objects such as kids jewelry, charms and amulets or putting them in the mouth.
• Ingesting lead-contaminated dust.
• Eating paint chips found in homes from peeling or flaking lead-based paint.
• Drinking water that comes from lead pipes.
• Playing in lead-contaminated soil.
• Eating food prepared in contaminated containers such as ceramic glazed pottery, eating food made with lead-containing imported spices such a turmeric and lozeena (used as food coloring) or candies/candy wrappers.
• Using ceremonial make-up or powders that contain lead.

Adults may also unknowingly bring lead dust into their home from their jobs or hobbies.

• Breathing in lead dust (especially during activities such as renovations, repairs, or painting);
• Swallowing lead dust that settles in food, food preparation surfaces, floors, window sills, and other places;
• Eating paint chips or soil that contains lead.
• The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures.
• Other sources of lead include some metal toys, wooden toys or furniture painted with lead-based paint, some metal-containing jewelry, and lead-glazed pottery or porcelain, some candies, spices or make-up.
• Lead may also be brought into the home on work clothes, shoes, and hair.

All soil contains some level of lead, which is called the background level. The only way to tell if the lead level is above background amounts is to test for it. Because all soil contains some lead, it is important to avoid accidentally swallowing it.

There are a few situations that might cause higher soil lead levels:

• If you live in an area close to a street that had a lot of traffic on it when gas had lead in it. Most gas was unleaded by the mid-1980s.
• If you live in an urban or industrial area. These areas are more likely to have soil lead levels that can be a health concern.
• If you live in an older house built before 1978. Lead was taken out of paint in 1978, but lead is still present in the paint that remains on many homes, though it may be under several coats of newer leadfree paint. Outside, the concern is the older paint may have chipped off the house and landed in the soil close to the house.
• You live on land that was formerly a fruit orchard. Pesticides that contained lead were commonly used in orchards to control insects from the late 1800s through the 1950s. Lead can remain in the soil if the soil was not removed.

Answers to more FAQs can be found on the MDHHS Lead & Soil webpage.

Lead poisoning occurs when lead enters the bloodstream and builds up to toxic levels. Many different factors such as the source of exposure, length of exposure, and underlying susceptibility (e.g., child’s age, nutritional status, and genetics) affect how the body handles foreign substances.

No safe blood lead level in children has been identified.

An elevated blood lead level is defined by the “blood lead reference value (BLRV).” The BLRV identifies children with blood lead levels that are higher than most children’s levels, based on data from a national survey. On October 28, 2021, the CDC updated the BLRV from 5 to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter.

If a person has an elevated blood lead level, the goals are to:

• Identify the source of lead,
• stop the lead exposure, and
• determine any other tests or follow-up that might be needed.

The Livingston County Health Department can help you find additional resources. A public health nurse will connect with you to accomplish these goals.

Keep the following in mind when trying to prevent lead poisoning:

• Do not allow children to chew or mouth painted surfaces that may have been painted with lead-based paint (homes built before 1978).
• Take precautions to avoid exposure to lead dust when remodeling or renovating.
• Keep floors, window sills, and other surfaces dust and dirt free.
• Wash children’s hands and faces often to remove lead dusts and soil.
• Always use cold tap water for drinking and cooking, and run water for 30 seconds before using it.
• Use a filter certified to remove lead if your home has or if you are uncertain if it has one of the following:
  • Lead or galvanized plumbing. Learn how to check for lead in your home plumbing.
  • A lead service line carrying water from the street to your residence.
  • Old faucets and fittings that were sold before 2014.

A point-of-use (POU) certified lead-reducing filter can reduce lead in drinking water. Filters are made to reduce lead, but do not guarantee that all lead will be removed from drinking water.

Use a POU filter if your home has or if you are uncertain if it has one of the following:

• Lead or galvanized plumbing. Learn how to check for lead in your home plumbing.
• A lead service line carrying water from the street to your residence.
• Old faucets and fittings that were sold before 2014.

Below are tips that everyone can use to help maintain your home’s drinking water quality.

You can keep water moving by doing everyday activities, such as:

• Running a load of laundry
• Washing dishes
• Taking a shower
• Flushing toilets

Clean the aerators on faucets at least once every six months to remove trapped debris. Before using the water from any faucet for drinking or cooking, run the cold water until it goes from room temperature to cold.

Brighton Analytical
2105 Pless Drive
Brighton, MI 48116
(810) 229-7575

Water Tech
718 S. Michigan Ave
Howell, MI 48843
(517) 548-2505