Lead   Poisonin
                                        Home   Checklist
                                        The following questions will help you
                                        determine if your family is at  risk for
                                        lead  poisoning.
  If yes.
          1. Was your home built before 1978?
             A majority of homes built before 1978 (especially homes built throughout the 1940s to 1960s), contain lead-based paint, which can have
             a dangerous effect on the health of young children (under the age of six) and pregnant women.

          2. Do you see walls, furniture, or window sills  in your home with
             chipping or peeling paint?
             Lead-based paint is unsafe if it peels, chips, or cracks. Harmful lead dust is created when windows, doors, edges of stairs, rails, or other
             lead-based painted surfaces wear away over time. You or your landlord can get your home checked for lead by hiring a trained, certified
             professional. Many young children put their hands or other objects covered with lead dust in their mouths, which can cause serious
             damage to their health. Wash children's hands, bottles, pacifiers, and toys often.

          3. Do your children play in lead-contaminated soil near your home?
             Soil around homes with lead-based paint may have lead chips, dust, or flakes in it. Children can accidentally swallow this soil while
             playing outdoors, or the soil may be tracked indoors from shoes onto carpet and floors where children can eventually come into contact
             with it. Teach children to wipe and remove their shoes, as well as to wash their hands, after playing outdoors.

          4. Do you store food  in imported pottery that contains lead?
             Imported pottery and dishware usually contain lead. To protect your family from lead poisoning, use imported pottery only for
             decoration, and keep food and drinks in other safe, storage containers.

          5. Do you work with  lead in your job?
             You may be exposed to lead on thejob if you work as a painter, ironworker, construction worker, cable splicer, automobile radiator repair
             mechanic, firearms instructor, metal shop worker, stained glass artist, or battery maker.  If you work in a lead-related industry change
             your work clothes before entering the home, wash your work clothes separately from the clothes you wear around your family, and
             remove your shoes before entering your home, as lead can be tracked indoors onto carpets, floors, and furniture.
       If you have answered yes to any of these questions, have your home tested by a certified professional by
   contacting 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) or visiting www.epa.gov/lead. If you rent, find out if your landlord has checked
  your home for lead. Have your children tested for lead poisoning by asking your doctor or your health specialist at
      a Head Start center to do a simple blood test. Medicare should pay for the cost of the lead poisoning test.
*t PR
                 Awareness  To find simple ways to prevent lead poisoning in your home look
                 Program    for the "Chance of a Lifetime" brochure at your Head Start center.

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