Lead, one of the heaviest common metals next to gold, is absorbed into the body easily even though the body has no biological need for it. One of the heaviest of metals now has even heavier regulations on many home repair projects. There are various ways through which people are exposed to lead: air, water, soil, food, dust and even paint. Lead based paints are one of the major sources of lead poisoning by inhaling the lead dust from lead-based paint.
Some ways to reduce exposure to lead include keeping areas where your children play as clean and dust free as possible and eating right. While lead based paint is said to be hazardous to health,it will not harm you if the paint is in good condition. It is recommended that you just leave the paint undisturbed. However, if you do plan on removing it, make sure that you do not try to remove it yourself by scrubbing and scraping off the paint. This would result in lead dust, which is another way through which lead can easily get into your body.
There are numerous reasons as to why you need to consider lead safety. The general idea is that exposure to lead deteriorates your health. It has the ability to affect all your organs and your overall health. A high level of exposure can lead to comas and possibly even death. Even at low levels of exposure. it affects your organs such as the brain, kidney, blood cells and the central nervous system. Here are the top reasons as to why you need to consider lead safety while painting:
Health risks for adults:
Some health risk factors for adults exposused to lead are cardiovascular effects, increased blood pressure, incidence of hypertension, decreased kidney function and even reproductive problems (in both men and women).
Health risks for pregnant women:
Lead exposure to pregnant women can have some serious health effects on the mother and the unborn baby. There is a possibility of reduced growth of the fetus. This may result in premature birth, which is extremely risky for the baby.
Children’s under-development:
Young children’s growing bodies absorb more lead than adults do and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. With a higher chance of exposure and more intense harmful effects, exposed children may be underdeveloped. They may have behavior and learning problems, lower IQ, hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems, and anemia.. These are some of the health effects of lead on children.
Check your house for lead contamination to make sure that you aren’t risking your family’s health. Inspect and maintain all painted surfaces to prevent paint deterioration. Keeping your home clean and well-maintained will go a long way in preventing lead exposure, ensuring that the people living under your roof are fit and healthy.
