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Testing and prevention are key to reducing lead poisoning in children

Jan 27, 2025 03:18PM ● By Jolene Croasmun

Water pipes in homes built before 1978 are places where you might find lead. (Wikimedia)

High risk areas for lead are in many zip codes around the Salt Lake Valley that have homes built before 1978. These homes more than likely have been painted with lead paints. The soils around these older homes could contain lead. The Salt Lake County Health Department offers help with testing and ways of preventing lead poisoning in families.

Lead particles can be found in older homes and buildings. “Prevention is the educational portion and how to live within your environment,” said Candice Briese, health educator with the Salt Lake County Health Department.

“Our focus is children under 6 since they have a faster breathing rate and they are exposed to lead dust. They put everything into their mouths and touch the ground more often,” Briese said. This makes children more at risk for lead poisoning.

No level of lead is safe for a child. If a child has 3.5 µg/dL then this needs to be addressed right away. Lead poisoning can cause learning and behavioral problems, lowered intelligence, digestive issues, hearing and speech concerns and has been linked to incarceration later in life.

Have your child tested. “Testing can be done at the doctor’s office,” Briese said.

“We will do a home visit if a child test results are at 3.5 µg/dL. We will bring the XRF analyzer to the home so we can test and discuss the dietary needs of the kiddos and we really encourage reading. Reading is a good way to build those neurons and compensate for that loss from lead poisoning,” Briese said. 

There is a real concern with nutritional aspects for children with lead exposure. “Lead can mimic calcium and iron in our bodies. What it does is cause things like anemia because it replaces the iron in their bodies. What we like to do is encourage the dietary approach in that the kids have the required amount of iron and vitamin C, which can help with the absorption of iron,” Briese said.

“Lead can store in the bones for 10 to 20 years. We encourage women that want to get pregnant to get tested,” Briese added. Lead poisoning can cause miscarriages and developmental effects on the growing fetus like low birth weight or hurt the baby's nervous system, kidneys and brain.

“We do testing events in the community and we have an XRF analyzer that we have when we are out and about,” Briese said. People can bring Ziplock bags full of paint chips from their homes or bags of soil along with spices to be tested at the events to see if there is lead there. “We are always happy to test the products if people want to check for lead.”

“With older homes painted with lead paint, you can encapsulate it, but if you get a ding on the wall, you want to cover it up,” Briese said. “It is important to find ways to make your old home safe. There is a program in the county that is called Lead Safe Housing that can come to your home and test for lead. There are requirements for this service like if you have a child in your home or a pregnant woman is visiting.”

Homeowners may want to get connected to lead safe certified contractors by visiting www.saltlakecounty.gov/ and search for the Lead Safe Housing program. 

“Our primary objective is to find it and get it out of the environment. We see it with mugs and the paint on the product,” Briese said. “We want to get it out of there and get the nutrients into the child’s body and then let’s read.”

 “We encourage wet cleaning to dust since lead does not break down quickly. It has a very long life. We need to be aware if it is there and wash our hands more often.”

Growing a garden in the yard of an older home could be concerning since lead could be present in the soil. “Certain vegetables will be better than others for growing in the yard of an old house. We might encourage a raised bed in those areas,” Briese said.

Spices can be a concern. “If buying them online or if from other countries those are the ones we worry about having lead in them. We see it in turmeric, lead is heavy and it is added to a spice they get more bang for the buck. It makes the color more vibrant and lead is sweet. This is why kids eat paint chips. It has a sweet taste and that is why they add it to the spice,” Briese added. 

Some makeup from certain communities might use kohl liner or surma around their eyes, which has lead in it. This makeup is typically bought online or from other countries. Check the ingredients in the products you purchase to be sure no lead is in it.

A person can be exposed to lead when visiting a gun range. "Every time you fire the gun you get lead dust back splashed onto you. So it is important to wash your hands, face and your clothes afterwards,” Briese said.

 Fishing exposes a person to lead. If you use lead fishing sinkers you will want to wash your hands along with any children who are fishing with you before eating food due to the lead exposure. 

There is the Safe Kids Fare on Feb. 22 at the Mountain America Expo that residents can get things tested at and if more information is needed, email [email protected]. λ