Types & Sources of Lead Pollution

Lead Air Pollution

Solutions

Lead Testing

This can be a useful preventative, diagnostic tool. When we know where our sources of lead pollution are, we can work to clean up the lead pollution or replace and properly dispose of contaminated items.

You can buy lead test kits online or at your local hardware store.

For Drinking Water

• Brewing Clean Water: The Metal-Remediating Benefits of Tea Preparation "The study of adsorbent materials rarely extends beyond engineered systems. This research explores metal adsorption resulting from the preparation of tea, which is the most widely consumed beverage globally. Tea is brewed from the processed leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, a material understudied, relative to its outsized economic and cultural importance. The features that make tea leaves ideal for their intended purpose also help them function as an efficient sorbent. In this Letter, the properties of tea leaves relevant to the adsorption of metal content in drinking water are measured and used to estimate, for the first time, the adsorptive performance under a variety of conditions of tea preparation, with an eye toward public health benefits. We find that the preparation of black tea under typical conditions results in the removal of a meaningful fraction of lead from drinking water and that this value is highly dependent on steeping time."

Wash Hands Frequently With Soap - Not Sanitizer!

"Wash your child’s hands with soap and water—not hand sanitizer—before eating and after playing to reduce the risk of swallowing lead dust." - The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning 

Resources & Guides

• Online Toolkit - Brochure "Toolkit for establishing laws to eliminate lead paint"

• The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning: Resources

• National Institutes of Health: Kid Page: Lead Poisoning "Web page dedicated to childhood lead poisoning."

Organizations

International

• Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (Lead Pain Alliance) "is a voluntary partnership formed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent exposure to lead through promoting the phase-out of paints containing lead. The Lead Paint Alliance is guided by an Advisory Council chaired by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and consisting of Government representatives from Colombia, Republic of Moldova, Kenya, Thailand, the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL), the American Bar Association, Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) the World Coating Council (formerly IPPIC), AkzoNobel and Pacific Paint (Boysen) Philippines (paint companies)."

• Lead Exposure Elimination Project "Let’s end childhood lead exposure. We drive effective policies to eliminate lead poisoning across the globe." 

• Pure Earth "Evidence-based solutions for lead and mercury poisoning Guided by our commitment to impact, collaboration, and technical excellence, Pure Earth works with governments, communities, and industry leaders to sustainably address the root causes of pollution and exposure to toxins."

North America

USA

• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry "Studies blood lead in populations near Superfund sites and funds state health agencies to undertake this type of work."

• American Lead Poisoning Help Association "Raise awareness about lead poisoning and to provide a national support network for families affected by lead."

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program "Promotes state and local screening efforts and develops improved treatments for lead exposure. CDC also provides a database, 1990 Census Data on Housing and Population—Interactive Query, that allows you to search by county or zip code to find the percentage of houses built before 1950."

• The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning "is an education and advocacy organization composed of hundreds of individuals and community organizations dedicated to eliminating childhood lead poisoning and other environmental home health hazards. Located in Rochester, NY our mission is to empower communities and their residents to prevent childhood lead poisoning by sharing information, educational materials and best practices, and working towards public policy change. The Coalition is comprised of members who share the following conviction: childhood lead poisoning can and must end."

• Consumer Product Safety Commission "Enforces ban of lead paint; investigates and prevents the use of lead paint in consumer products; initiates recalls of lead-containing products that present a hazard; conducts dockside surveillance and intercepts imported products that present a risk of lead poisoning; recommends elimination of lead from consumer products through Guidance Policy on lead."

• Department of Defense "Administers lead-based paint/lead hazard management programs in 250,000 family housing and child-occupied facilities worldwide, administers childhood lead poisoning prevention programs on installations worldwide, administers research and development programs to develop new cost-effective technologies for lead paint management and abatement, partners with other federal agencies to develop policies and guidance for lead hazardous management on a national level."

• Department of Housing and Urban Development "Lead Hazard Control Grant Program, enforcement of Disclosure Rule (with EPA and DOJ) and federally assisted housing lead paint regulations, National Survey of Lead Paint in Housing, Lead Hotline (with EPA), Internet listing of lead paint professionals, public education and training of housing professionals and providers and others, technical assistance, research."

• Department of Justice "Enforces Federal Lead Paint Disclosure Rule (with HUD and EPA); defends federal lead paint regulations; enforces pollution statutes, including hazardous waste laws."

• Department of the Treasury

• EPA 

• Food and Drug Administration "Enforces standards for lead in ceramic dinnerware; monitors lead in food."

• Green and Healthy Home Initiative 🏡"Develops, implements, and promotes programs and policies to eradicate childhood lead poisoning and further the creation of healthy homes."

• Health Care Financing Administration "Covers and reimburses for lead screening and diagnosis, lead poisoning treatment, and follow-up services for Medicaid-eligible children."

• Health Resources and Services Administration "Directs national health programs to assure quality health care to under-served, vulnerable, and special need populations including children with lead poisoning."

• The Lead Abatement Resource Center Foundation (LARC Foundation) "is an independent nonprofit organization (501c3) dedicated to eliminating positive blood levels in children. We do this through education, advocacy, and research on the child, the family, and the community.

In children especially, a positive blood lead level results in cognitive impairment and a lifetime of mental and physical health challenges. There is no acceptable level of lead exposure.

Today, we are engaged in a broad lead awareness campaign focused on communities where there is a known propensity of measured blood lead levels in children. Our program framework describes the primary sources of lead contamination; offers practical prevention methods, and identifies resources for testing, evaluation, care, and if necessary, remediation."

• The Lead and Environmental Hazards Association (LEHA) "is a national, non-profit organization committed to advancing our nation’s efforts to eliminate lead paint poisoning and other public health and environmental hazards faced by both children and adults, especially in homes, schools and other buildings where hazards are most severe. We improve opportunities for advancing lead inspection, risk assessment, abatement and many other initiatives by conducting educational programs, research, policy evaluation, outreach to decisionmakers and business activities."

• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development "Conducts and supports laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological research on the reproductive, neurobiologic, developmental, and behavioral processes, including lead poisoning related research."

• National Institutes of Health "Conducts basic research on lead toxicity."

• National Lead Information Center "A federally funded hotline and clearinghouse that provides information on lead hazard reduction and exposure prevention. To speak with one of the Center’s clearinghouse specialists, call 1-800-424-LEAD"

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration "Enforces worker protection regulations."

• Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) "Responsible for EPA programs related to lead poisoning prevention and lead regulation. OPPT also provides educational packets for parents, teachers, daycare providers, and librarians, as well as technical information and publications."

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development / Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control "Sets standards for evaluation and management of lead in federally assisted housing, and promotes efforts to reduce lead hazards in privately owned housing. In addition, provides grants to communities to reduce lead hazards in housing."