Factsheet - Protect Family From Lead in Yard

Attachment 5C.

P rotect Your Family from Lead in Your Yard

Information for communities near waste sites with possible lead contamination

One way lead can get into our bodies is by swallowing or breathing in soil that contains lead. Children can get lead in their bodies when they put their hands, toys, dirt, or other items in their mouths. When lead gets into our bodies, it can cause health problems. Checking your yard and home for lead, and your children’s blood-lead levels, can help you know if action can be taken to protect your family from lead.

Here are some steps you can take to lower the amount of lead that gets into your body.

Insert picture showing people/children engaging in recommended behaviors (e.g., children playing on grass) – add caption that is a call to action, e.g., “Have kids play on grass, not bare dirt”.

 Do not let children play in dirt that is contaminated with lead

• Have children play on grass or in areas covered with lead-free mulch, wood chips, or sand.

• Keep children from playing in bare dirt.

• Cover bare dirt with grass, bushes, or 4 to 6 inches of lead-free wood chips, mulch, soil, or sand.

 Protect your family from lead-based paint in the yard

• Homes built before 1978 might still have lead-based paint on walls and trim. As paint ages, it can peel and chip away and become part of dust and soil.

• Keep your family, especially young children, away from areas outside your home where old paint might be peeling or chipping away, such as old porches, fences, or houses.

• Do not try to remove lead paint yourself unless you have been trained to follow lead-safe work practices. Hire a certified lead specialist who will follow lead-safe work practices. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s web page to locate companies that do that work.

 Keep children’s hands and toys clean

• Wash children’s hands, toys, pacifiers, and dishes frequently.

• Help your children keep their hands and toys away from their mouths. This includes when they are helping in the garden or playing in a sandbox.

• Check for recalls of toys that might have been contaminated with lead. Visit fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts to search for products that have been recalled.

 Take other steps to reduce lead exposure

• Remove your shoes and wipe your feet on washable mats before entering your home.

• Wash pets regularly.

• When eating outdoors, try to eat in an area where there is no bare dirt.

• Some studies suggest that avoiding high fat foods such as french fries, hot dogs, and potato chips might help reduce absorption of lead in your body.

This fact sheet is provided by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry—Region (insert region number). If you have questions about lead exposure, contact your local health agency (if provided at a specific site of concern, insert name and contact information for the local health agency contact person or office), or call or email (insert name) with Region (insert region number, ATSDR office location, telephone number, and email address of ATSDR contact person).

References

1. Barltrop D, Khoo HE. 1975. The influence of nutritional factors in lead absorption. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 5(1):795–800.

2. Brown SL, Chaney RL, Hettiarachchi GM. 2016. Lead in urban soils: a real or perceived concern for urban agriculture? Journal of Environmental Quality. 45(1):26–36.

3. Ku Y, Alvares HG, Mahaffey KR. 1978. Comparative effects of feeding lead acetate and phospholipid-bound lead on blood and tissue lead concentrations in young and adult rats. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 20(4):561–567.

4. Quarterman J, Morrison JN, Humphries WR. 1975. The influence of high dietary intakes of calcium on lead retention in rats. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 34(2)89A–90A.