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Where Lead is Found

Lead used to be very common in gasoline and house paint in the U.S. Although these items are no longer made with lead in them, lead is still a health problem.

Lead is Everywhere
[including dirt, dust, new toys, and old house paint]
Unfortunately, you can't see, taste, or smell lead.

Lead is found in:
  • House paint before 1978. Even if the paint is not peeling, it can be a problem. Lead paint is very dangerous when it is being stripped or sanded. These actions release fine lead dust into the air. Infants and children living in pre-1960's housing (when paint often contained lead) have the highest risk of lead poisoning. Small children often swallow paint chips or dust from lead-based paint.
  • Toys and furniture painted before 1976.
  • Painted toys and decorations made outside the U.S.
  • Lead bullets, fishing sinkers, curtain weights.
  • Plumbing, pipes, faucets. Lead can be found in drinking water in homes whose pipes were connected with lead solder. While new building codes require lead-free solder, lead is still found in some modern faucets.
  • Soil contaminated by decades of car exhaust or years of house paint scrapings. Thus, lead is more common in soil near highways and houses.
  • Hobbies involving soldering, stained glass, jewelry making, pottery glazing, miniature lead figures (always look at labels).
  • Children's paint sets and art supplies (always look at labels).
  • Pewter pitchers and dinnerware.
  • Storage batteries.