Older Housing

Many houses and apartment buildings built before 1978 have paint that contains lead. Houses built before 1950 may contain paint that has a very high percentage of lead. (In 1978, the U.S. government banned lead-based paint in housing.) As a result, the possibility of lead poisoning may be greater for children who live in or frequently visit older, deteriorating housing, because children may eat paint chips and may eat or breathe in paint dust.

Children who live in housing that was built before 1978 and that has recently been or is now being remodeled or renovated are especially at risk, because such home repairs, if they are not conducted in a lead-safe manner, can create lead dust that children may breathe in or swallow and paint chips that children may swallow. (Click here for information about lead-safe practices for remodeling and renovation.).

Lead-based paint is especially common on old windows, doors, and porches and in old kitchens and bathrooms because it is durable and moisture resistant.

Other children who are at greater risk are the brothers, sisters, housemates, and playmates of children known to have lead poisoning. In addition, children who live with household members who work in lead-related jobs or who have lead-related hobbies (for example, stained glass or pottery makers, battery recycling plant workers) may also be at risk.

Lead in the air

Lead can enter the air through lead-related industries, such as smelting, battery manufacturing, and radiator repair, and the burning of lead-painted items.

Lead in the water

Lead can enter household water from old pipes and solder.

If you suspect that your water may contain lead

If the water has not been run for several hours, let it run for several minutes before you use it. Use only cold water for drinking and cooking Use only cold water to prepare baby formula

For further information about lead in the water in Hartford, contact the

Lead in the soil

Although gasoline no longer contains lead, automobile exhaust from former years may have deposited lead in the soil around homes where people live and children play. Lead from industrial sources and old, deteriorated exterior paint may also have contaminated the soil. For example, a 1995 study of the Clay/Arsenal neighborhood found toxic levels of lead in soil samples. The lead contaminants are believed to have come from lead-based paint on houses, fumes from leaded gasoline, and smokestack emissions.

Chemical methods exist to remove lead from soil, but these methods are expensive and require a lot of work. Researchers at Trinity College, in cooperation with neighborhood organizations and state agencies, have recently begun to study the use of plants to remove lead from contaminated soil (phytoremediation). If successful, phytoremediation would be a cheaper and easier method to remove lead. Trinity researchers used the Indian mustard plant at a Chestnut Street site. For further information, click here. Additional research is needed in this area.

If you suspect that your soil may contain lead

Keep children from playing in bare soil. If possible, cover bare soil around old houses with shrubs or other plants to keep children and pets away. Make sure that children wash their hands carefully after they play and before they eat. Make sure that children remove their outside shoes and wear socks or slippers inside the house. Try to wipe off the feet of household pets that go outside. Do not plant vegetables in soil that may be contaminated.

For information about soil contamination in Hartford, call the

Other Sources of Lead in the Home