Many houses are getting older and they may contain more leads than newer houses. Lead can be found on pipes, tiles and paint. As a precaution we should check our paint, pipes and water supply when we purchase an older house. Lead is actually a type of neurotoxicant and it could poison our brain. Just a little exposure can harm any developing child, causing learning and behavioural difficulties in school. Unfortunately, children enjoy chewing things and lead paint could actually taste rather sweet to them. In specific amount, lead can interfere with many functions of our body. In reality, there’s no safe minimum level of exposure. Our body actually treats lead like calcium and it will be absorbed into our bones. A common treatment to remove lead from our body is called chelation. Lead is often found in our water supply and the level of lead could increase when water passes through older pipes that have deteriorated. Some pipes were soldered with lead, so we should have our water supply checked. To reduce the amount of lead, we should let our taps running for a couple of minutes in the morning before using it for consumption purposes.
In many countries, paints are infused with a large quantity of lead. Although many houses already get their fresh coats of paints, homeowners often scrape or sand their walls for a variety of purposes. This could cause lead dust to get dispersed in the interior of their houses. In major house renovations, one or two walls can be removed and this cause lead dust to get dispersed. When in doubt, we should get samples of dust in our houses and get it analyzed in a lab before we proceed with our home improvement project. Our locations could also increase lead exposure. Decades ago, automobile gasoline contain some lead and it means that houses located old, abandoned gas station could be exposed to higher level of leads in the soil. If tests show that our land is contaminated with lead, we should consider using soil remediation method. It means that a layer of soil can be removed from our land and replaced with clean one taken from different location. Unfortunately, cleaning up toxic soil can be very time consuming and expensive.
We should also avoid using products from other countries that may have dubious quality. Some countries could have less stringent standards on lead contamination. Some children toys from Far East could contain heavy metals and lead. Glazed pottery may also contain some lead and it is preferable to choose food-grade mugs, bowls and plates made from glass. The fillings in our mouth may also contain some mercury and candles made from paraffin may also have some lead in them. Stained glass could also have some lead that can leech into us. With many older houses are being offered to the market, there’s another threat we should to consider and it is called asbestos. Regular assessments of our house is necessary to ensure improved health.