Children can be exposed to lead from lead-based paint, tap water that is delivered in lead pipes, batteries, and even old vinyl mini-blinds. Older homes, where lead-based materials are more common and paint may be peeling or chipping, can be especially risky to your child's health. Possible sources of lead are:

Lead-based paint	Imported vinyl or plastic mini-blinds made before 1997
Soil and dust	Keys
Tap water	Batteries
Glazed pottery	Imported canned foods
Some electrical cords	Metal jewelry
Garden hoses	Outside water faucets

The Consumer Products Safety Commission publishes recalls of toys and other products that present a lead poisoning hazard.

• Lead hazard product recalls
• Toys and childhood lead exposure
  Information from the CDC

It can take a long time for symptoms of lead poisoning to appear. Your child may be at risk long before you see any effects. Some signs to look for are:

• Clean your child's hands with soap and water or baby wipes after playing outside and before meals.
• Keep your child from eating paint chips, dust or dirt. Keep children from touching window sills and troughs (wells) in old homes and outside surfaces such as steps and porch floors near old homes. Use a wet mop or wet cloth with an all-purpose cleaner to clean areas of dust or chipped paint on window sills, interior floors, porch floors, ledges and outside steps. Keep children's hands and toys off these areas. Surfaces that children touch often should be smooth and easily cleaned (vinyl floor coverings are the easiest to keep clean).
• If someone in the household works around lead, such as in a battery plant, take special measures to avoid bringing lead dust into the home. Remove work shoes before walking on steps, floors, and carpets where children might put their hands.
• Wash your child's toys often.
• Give your child a diet rich in vitamin C, calcium and iron. Some good sources are milk, oranges, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, bread, cereal and meat.
• Have your home checked for lead before you remodel. Do not scrape or sand lead-based paint.
• Learn to recognize lead-based paint dangers when you see them: Take the on-line Lead-Based Paint Visual Assessment course

• Lead in the environment
• Mississippi Lead Statistics
• Protect Your Child from Lead Poisoning (EPA).
• Healthy Homes: US Department of Housing and Urban Development
• National Safety Council Lead Poisoning Website
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Lead Poisoning Information
• Lead, your health and the environment
• Lead-Based Paint Visual Assessment Training: a short on-line course in identifying lead-based paint dangers from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

You can contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.

To learn more about the risks of lead or to arrange a lead screening, contact your primary care provider or call the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at (601) 576-7447.