OEH&S Lead Information

• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
• Lead Based Paint Hazards

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention

Lead poisoning is the number one environmental health hazard facing children today. Although anyone can be lead poisoned, children 2 months to 6 years of age are at higher risk. They are especially sensitive because of their size and more frequent exposure to lead. Children absorb about half of the lead that enters their body and retain about five time more lead than adults. Exposure to lead increases children’s risk of developing permanent learning disabilities, loss of hearing, lower intelligence quotas, reduced concentration and attentiveness, and other behavior problems. Pregnant women need to be especially concerned since lead can cause abnormal fetal development. The good news is that lead poisoning is preventable.

OEH&S is focusing attention on lead exposure in Child Care Centers, Aldea Housing and other areas where small children may be expected to frequent. Sources of lead exposure include lead in air, lead dust in toys, lead dust on floor, lead dust on pets, lead in food, lead solder in cans, lead in pipes lead in paint, lead in soil and lead from industry. A thorough evaluation is necessary to confirm the presence of lead.
Call OEH&S at 476-1300 for assistance.

Additional information on Lead-Based Paint Hazards can be obtained from Environmental Health and Safety Newsletter dated May/June 1997, Volume 97, Number 3.

Lead Based Paint Hazards

(Excerpt from the OEH&S Safety Update Newsletter dated May/June 1997)

Lead poisoning is the number one environmental health hazard facing children today. Although anyone can be lead poisoned, children 2 months to 6 years of age are at higher risk. They are especially sensitive because of their size and more frequent exposure to lead. Children absorb about half of the lead that enters their body and retain about five time more lead than adults. Exposure to lead increases children’s risk of developing permanent learning disabilities, loss of hearing, lower intelligence quotas, reduced concentration and attentiveness, and other behavior problems. Pregnant women need to be especially concerned since lead can cause abnormal fetal development. The good news is that lead poisoning is preventable.

Because lead has been successfully removed from gasoline and food, the foremost source of lead in the environment of young children is lead based paint (LBP), which was in common use before the 1978 ban on LBP for residential and consumer use. The primary way children become lead poisoned is by eating lead dust, paint chips or soil containing lead. Children naturally place their thumbs, fingers, toys and other objects into their mouths. Lead enters the blood stream and is then deposited in bones and other body tissues.

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Children with lead poisoning usually have no symptoms, especially in low to moderate cases. Consequently, experts recommend that every child under 6 years of age have a blood lead test since this is the only way to detect lead poisoning. Every parent should ask their child’s doctor about having their child tested for lead.

In communities where houses are old and deteriorating LBP chips and dust are a significant source of exposure. LBP was commonly used on window and door frames, kitchen and bathroom walls, baseboards and exterior wood surfaces. Dust is created as the paint chalks, chips, cracks, or peels from deteriorated surfaces. Walking on small paint chips found on the floor, or opening and closing a painted frame window , can create a lead dust. Home repair and maintenance can also generate lead dust by sanding, scraping or heating lead based paint. Other sources of lead include deposits that may be present in soil after years of use of leaded gasoline and from industrial sources.

The magnitude of this problem has motivated national interest. In 1993, Congress passed the "Residential Lead-Based Paint Prevention Act" and initiated a national emphasis program to protect children and insure a stock of lead safe housing in the future. In California, State and local governments were active in the field of lead poisoning prevention even before the federal government. For example, in 1991, the San Francisco Health Department carried out a preliminary assessment of childhood lead poisoning among San Francisco children. This results of this study indicated that over 8% had elevated blood levels, so the Board of Supervisors responded by approving an ordinance to develop a comprehensive lead poisoning prevention program to address this problem locally.

At UCSF, we equally concerned. We are focusing our attention on lead exposure in Child Care Centers, Aldea Housing and other areas where small children may be expected to frequent. The Office of Environmental Health is in the forefront of this activity. We are developing a comprehensive program to protect the families. Educational programs such as health fairs, brown bag talks and presentations for child care users are being planned. Aldea Housing residents are given an educational booklet about lead hazards and what they can do to protect their children. Our crafts, especially painters, are being trained to control the lead dust and follow up with proper clean-up techniques to insure a lead safe environment. We remain committed to protecting the campus and the surrounding community, especially young children.