PREVENTION: WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME 1. Inspect your house. Homes built before 1978 are likely to contain lead. Having a licensed contractor professionally clean, properly fix paint, and repair your home can reduce lead exposure. 2.Keep your family and property safe while dealing with lead exposure. Before buying a home, inspect it for lead. Before signing a lease, ask the landlord about lead in the home. 3.Keep children away from areas that may be contaminated with lead. Don’t let children near old windows, old hallways, soil without vegetation cover, sludge near old houses, or areas with chipped or peeling paint and flaking putty from old windows. 4.If possible, put sod on bare soil or cover the surface of bare soil with grass seed, mulch or wood chips. If you have areas of debris or peeling paint in your home, sweep up the debris immediately and cover the area of peeling paint with duct tape or plastic sheeting until the paint is removed. 5. Filter drinking water. Ion exchange filters, reverse osmosis filters, and distillation can be effective in getting rid of the lead content in your water. If you are not using a water purification device and live in an older home, drain cold tap water for 15 to 30 seconds before using it. 6. Use cold tap water when cooking, drinking or making baby formula. Hot water absorbs lead faster than cold water. 7, Take precautions in the kitchen. Store food in glass, plastic or stainless steel containers, not open jars. If you’re not sure if pottery contains lead glaze, use it only for decoration. 8. Keep your house tidy. Regularly wipe down floors and other surfaces with a damp mop or sponge. 9.Encourage good hygiene habits. Ensure that children do wash their hands and faces after being outdoors or playing with pets, as well as before meals and bedtime. Similarly, wash your child’s toys regularly, as they may be contaminated with soil and household dust. 10. Avoid traditional remedies and certain cosmetics. If you are not sure whether a traditional remedy or cosmetic contains lead, then don’t let your child use it. 11. Promote a balanced diet. A diet rich in iron and calcium can reduce your child’s absorption of lead. Tips for work and play 1. Avoid certain children’s products and toys. Don’t buy off-brand toys, used toys, and toys from discount stores or private vendors unless you can be sure that they were manufactured without lead or other harmful substances. 2. Do not give jewelry to young children. Regularly check the list of recalled lead products and remember that commercially available lead test kits are not always reliable. 3. Take precautions when living near artificial sports fields. Do not allow children to eat on artificial sports fields, and keep water bottles in a bag or sealed container when not in use. After leaving the field, have the child take off his or her coat and turn it inside out to avoid spreading of dust from the field. 4. If it is not possible to remove the jacket, then have the child sit on a towel or blanket in the car. Wash lead-contaminated clothing, towels and blankets separately. Bathe your child with soap and water after playing on the playground. 5. Leave shoes worn outside the house. It is best to remove shoes when entering the house and to wear no shoes or slippers when in the house. 6. Take precautions after lead-related work. After completing lead-related work, change clothes and shoes and take a shower. Leave contaminated clothing in the work area or wash work clothes separately and as early as possible. 7. Similarly, keep materials that are used in hobbies (e.g., ceramics making) and may contain lead away from children and the areas where they live. 8. If you think your child has been exposed to lead, have your pediatrician perform blood tests to check the concentration of lead in the blood.