Lead Poisoning Still a Threat to Small Children

February 16, 2015- Lead poisoning is still a concern for children who live in or around homes built before 1978. Lead resides in old paint chips, on radiators, and can contaminate soil that surrounds older homes. It can accumulate in household dust and get into the air. Lead can leach into drinking water from certain plumbing materials, too.

For Dawn Fortunato, a Greenwich, Conn., resident, it was a shock to learn that her son Charlie had lead poisoning when he turned one. She and her children live in a house built in 1941. The first reading in the office tested at 19.7 and the second test, sent to the lab, tested 20.0.

Douglas Serafin, head of Greenwich's Health Department’s laboratory, explained that a reading of 5 or less is considered good.

According to the CDC, lead-contaminated soil can pose a risk through direct ingestion, uptake in vegetable gardens, or tracking into homes. Uncontaminated soil contains lead concentrations less than 50 parts per million (ppm), but soil lead levels in many urban areas exceed 200 ppm.

Read the full greenwichfreepress.com post here.

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