Lead isn’t good for anyone’s health and is especially a concern for small children and pregnant women. Regulatory agencies like CDC, EPA, WHO agree that there is no safe level of lead exposure: even low levels of lead in children’s blood are linked to adverse effects on intellect, concentration and academic achievement. While the United States has made substantial progress in reducing lead exposure over the past 40 years (for example, unleaded gasoline and paint), there remain significant disparities in exposure along racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines. For example, Black children and children from low-income households have persistently been found to have higher blood lead levels than non-Hispanic white children from higher-income homes.

One of the main sources of lead exposure is from lead paint in homes, particularly those built before 1978. Lead paint can chip and turn to dust, which can be ingested or inhaled. Peeling paint inside or outside of a home should be tested; for qualifying families, Pocatello has a program to “get the lead out” (see below).

Health advocate Tamara Rubin became an outspoken opponent of lead after her two sons were poisoned due to improper paint removal during a construction project on their older home. The family relocated for many months, but even with decreased lead levels in their bodies, Rubin’s children developed permanent learning deficits. Rubin now runs leadsafemama.com to inform the public about lead exposure. She uses a powerful X-ray instrument to test materials for a variety of common consumer toxicants, including lead, and posts her findings in the name of public health.

Unfortunately, lead doesn’t stop at paint. Rubin has discovered lead in bathtubs, tile, brass drawer knobs, vintage Pyrex, modern Kitchen-Aid attachments, children’s toys, pottery and even chocolate! She recently shared shocking news that the commonplace brand Kitchen-Aid continues to use lead-containing paint in some popular appliances. Less surprisingly, Rubin notes that vintage or antique painted kitchen accessories like garlic presses, rolling pins, ice cream scoops and manual juicers (especially tools with red or cream-colored paint) should be permanently retired—or better yet destroyed to protect future generations who may want to use them for nostalgia’s sake.

Rubin also advises immediately stopping the use of vintage Pyrex, which is adorned with incredibly high levels of lead-based paint. One might argue, “but, I don’t eat off the painted part, it’s on the outside!” The lead coating on vintage Pyrex and other leaded dishes wears off over time into dust that can transfer to your hands and into food. Even nesting or stacking bowls inside of each other can be dangerous: leaded dust can fall inside bowls, thereby contacting food. Laboratories have confirmed this using wipe sample testing, which revealed micro dust comes off under normal handling and stacking of dishes. She also revealed that the simple painted designs of Corelle dishware made before 2005 contain toxic levels of lead and have the potential to leach off into food. Out of an abundance of caution, Corelle dishware manufactured before 2005 should only be used for display purposes.

The only current regulatory standard applies to the presence of toxicants on the inside of dishware; the outside can still contain leaded paint or glaze. There are also regulatory standards for dishware and toys intended to be used by children. However, children don’t tend to distinguish between what is meant for them versus an adult: anything can be a toy, everything can be touched, and everything can and does go into their mouths.

The city of Pocatello wants to help you protect your children from lead paint exposure and poisoning. Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city of Pocatello Lead Safe and Healthy Homes Program may be able to rehabilitate your home while making it safe from lead paint hazards. This program is free to qualifying families.

Contact the LSHH program at 208-252-0125 or visit our website at leaducate.pocatello.us

And head to Tamara Rubin’s website, leadsafemama.com, to learn more about lead that may be lurking in our homes and discover safe, lead-free options.