Lead poisoning and contamination can affect everyone. A person exposed to lead can bring it home. This makes for a bleak conclusion that anyone in your household can be at risk. This is why expert environmental contractors encourage residents of Provo to book home inspections.
Regardless of where a person is most exposed to the toxic element, it affects us all the same – abdominal pain, lung or kidney failure, anemia, brain damage, and possibly even cancer of the kidney, lungs, or brain. If you want to equip yourself better, here’s a handy primer on how each family member might be exposed to toxic lead:
Children
Studies reveal that children aged three months to six years are the most vulnerable to permanent health effects due to lead exposure or ingestion. Even in small increments, lead can impair cognitive functions and harm calcium absorption and blood cell production, which is essential for proper growth in children.
Inside the house, children are also exposed to a whole host of lead sources. If your kids frequent playgrounds, the soil might test positive for trace amounts of lead. Some toys, sports gear, or food storage also consist of lead.
Working family members
You, your spouse, or even both of you can be exposed to lead in your respective workplaces. If either of you works in construction sites, automotive shops, jewelers, solid waste facilities, office supply production, or manufacturing, then you could bring home lead through your gear, clothing, or the family car.
Aside from what you’re bringing home from work, it could also be the workers you’re letting in. Plumbers, carpenters and contractors, electricians, and food delivery personnel often come in contact with materials with lead as well.
Wife and daughter
If your wife or daughter put on makeup a lot, you might want to warn them of the possible amounts of lead found in cosmetic products. Eyeliners, eye shadow, lipstick, tint, blush, and any ink or dye-based product that has color additives possibly contain lead. The same is also present in bath toiletries such as shampoos, powders, and lotions.
Fortunately, there are regulations in place to require manufacturers to comply with lead standards. However, these do not protect consumers from excessive and uncontrolled use.
Elderly
Even if your household is clear of lead, the elderly members of your family might have been exposed to the heavy metal way before. It might have been through unregulated workspaces where they previously held jobs or through construction materials from where they previously lived. If they served in the military, intense exposure to firearms and ammunitions would have also exposed them to lead. It bears noting that most houses built before 1978 were painted with lead-based paint, so that’s a credible source as well.
Pets
To the dismay of many, even our pets aren’t impervious to the toxic element. They might ingest lead through the dog bowl or sealed cans of dog food. If these are made of brass, copper, or chrome, your furry friends are also at risk.
Lead poisoning doesn’t occur overnight. If your lead pipes are corroded or if your soil is untreated, then lead will slowly contaminate your water and air and for years to come. This is why a thorough and professional home inspection is key to providing peace of mind for all members of the family.
