Lead poisoning can cause serious damage to your child. It is particularly harmful during the growing and formative years of your child. It can cause harm to the brain and nervous system. Lead poising can occur without your getting to know about the same.

Exposing infants to lead is extremely dangerous. Studies have shown that they absorb almost 5-10 times more lead than adults. High amount of exposure to lead can lead to diarrhea, convulsions, vomiting and, sometimes, even death.

Try the following tips to protect the young ones from lead poisoning.

Paint found on the walls of old homes have high quantity of lead. If this is untouched and the walls are kept in good condition, then they pose no hazard. But in case you decide to repaint your home, make sure that the painters take necessary safety measure to prevent lead dust being inhaled by your child. Sealing vents are a good option. Also regular cleaning keeps lead dust at bay.

Tap water often has high quantity of lead. In such cases, allow the water to run for sometime to flush out the water that has been in contact with the lead pipes over night. Also, use cold water when cooking. This is because hot water absorbs more lead.

Throw away all that recalled toys. Toys painted with lead based paint should discarded as they are toxic. The danger is more if the kid puts the toy in his or her mouth by mistake.

Do not wear cheap jewelry because they have high lead content. These kinds of ornaments should be kept put of reach of children.

People who work at painting, metal recycling and battery manufacturing factories should ensure that their working clothes are washed separately, as these jobs involve heavy exposure to lead.

Lead is also found in lipsticks. It is advised that if you are pregnant, then avoid using lipstick and also to keep it out of reach of the toddlers.

As per Health Canada, the maximum amount of lead content that should be present in any child’s blood should not be more than 0.487 micromoles per liter. You can get a blood lead test to find the amount of lead in your child’s blood. If it is on the higher side, then you need to find the source of lead exposure and take necessary precautions. An environmental officer can help you in this matter.

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