“Lead is a permanent threat to families living in old ho
uses in Iowa,” regretted the Bureau Chief of Lead Poisoning Prevention, Rita Gergely.
The official sustained that families are more exposed to lead because they usually live in old houses, with low or no maintenance, which have lead-based paint and were built before 1960. Sixty percent of Iowa’s housing contains lead-based paint, continued Gergely. This means that six out of 10 families are at risk to have lead- poisoned children if they don’t take precaution.
The most common way that children get lead in their blood is by ingesting the lead dust when they bring their fingers to their mouths. Generally, children who crawl, suck their fingers or have the habit of biting objects, or eating dirt, or other substances that are not necessarily food, are exposed to lead.
According to inspections done by the Bureau of Lead Poisoning Prevention, at-risk housing usually has windows, doors, walls, stairs and other parts in such bad shape that the paint is peeling, chipping, chalking, cracking, or otherwise, deteriorating. Soil can also be very contaminated with lead. “When children ingest lead, it becomes a problem,” said Gergely.
Once these houses are repaired and are classified as lead-safe for children, the risk to be poisoned is greatly reduced.
Nevertheless, environmental specialists of Department of Health have been surprised to find lead in houses that have been repaired and even look like new. The presence of lead in these houses is due to dust from remodeling projects or the presence of lead-based paint under new paint layers.
“I am concerned about many families who rent houses in bad shape and think they are free of lead poisoning risk when they move to another house in similar or worse condition,” said the Environmental Specialist Senior, Thomas Schlife.
The health employee recommended to these families to pay attention to areas of their houses that show hazards and to try keeping their children away from deteriorated paint. Parents have the responsibility to take all precautions, including a permanent cleaning of the house, emphasized Schlife.
All Iowa children must be tested for lead poisoning before they start school. It is especially important for children under six years old who live in older houses. Families can call the Iowa Department of Public Health at 1-800-972-2026 for more information.
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