Childhood Lead Safety
Lead is a common metal found in many places around the home. If there is lead in your home, it could harm your child. Even small amounts of lead can be very dangerous, especially to small children. Children put their hands and lots of other things in their mouths. This simple action puts most children between the ages of six months and six years at risk.
Lead poisoning can cause:
- Difficulty in learning
- Delay in development
- Speech & hearing problems
- Muscle weakness
Lead gets into the body through:
- Breathing in dust from lead paint on window sills, walls and floors
- Eating, playing or planting a garden in soil that contains lead
- Putting hands, toys or any object in mouth if playing in any area that has chipped peeling lead paint
- Eating food that is stored in pottery with lead glaze
- Swallowing drinking water that contains lead
- Breathing in lead dust while making stained glass, fishing sinkers, loading ammunition or doing home repairs
Read more about Childhood Lead Poisoning.
Find out about the latest lead recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
- June 24, 2009: Body Boards Recalled by JGR Copa
- May 6th, 2009: Children’s Jewelry Craft Kits Recalled by Action Products International
- April 29th, 2009: Dinosaur Play Sets Recalled by DND Imports
- Keep your baby healthy and safe from lead poisoning
- Spanish - Keep your baby healthy and safe from lead poisoning
Opening October 27, 2008, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia presents a new exhibit: The Devouring Element: Lead’s Impact on Health. School teachers in Philadelphia, find out how you can apply for a scholarship to visit the exhibit.
Teachers, your 6th through 8th graders can win gift cards and a pizza party for your class by participating in our Lead Awareness Poster Content. Click here to find out how.
Our Partners:
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) works with several City departments to eliminate lead hazards and reduce lead poisoning.
The NNCC’s Lead Safe Babies program provides new mothers with the necessary education and materials needed to keep their children free from lead poisoning. Print one of the following downloadable brochures to keep your baby healthy and safe from lead poisoning:
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