National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is an annual opportunity to educate people about the dangers of lead exposure, especially for children. Even the smallest amount of lead found in your blood can lead to lifelong health issues.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work together to provide preventative measures to lower lead poisoning cases. This theme for this year’s National Lead Poisoning Prevention week is “Together, we can prevent lead exposure!” It takes everyone working together to prevent lead exposure and lead poisoning.

Below are important facts about lead from the above organizations:

• About half of the homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint. Lead from paint, paint chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards, particularly to young children and pregnant people
• Adults and children can get lead into their bodies by:
  • Breathing in lead dust (especially during activities such as building renovations, repairs, or painting, or other occupational exposures
  • Swallowing lead dust that settles on food, food preparation surfaces, floors, window sills, and other places
  • Eating paint chips or soil that contain lead
• The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures
• Lead may also be brought into the home on work clothes, shoes, hair, and pets

Three key messages that these agencies want you to know are:

1. Get the facts – know about the dangers of lead exposure
2. Get your child tested – consult your health care provider for a simple blood test to detect lead
3. Get your home tested – hire a professional to test your home for any lead traces if it was built before 1978

For more information on National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, visit https://www.epa.gov/.../national-lead-poisoning...

HazTek offers professional, classroom-based training on more than 75 different topics – including Lead Awareness. We also offer Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) EPA Certified Contractor Training.

For additional information on HazTek’s Lead Awareness training or Lead RRP training — or to learn more about how HazTek can help — please contact HazTek at 888.842.9835, email us at info@haztekinc.com, or visit our website at www.haztekinc.com

Credit to: EPA, HUD, and CDC

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