With spring plans for home renovations, comes increased risk of lead poisoning

March 18, 2021

Spring is upon us — and so is the season of home renovations.

As temperatures rise and the skies clear, homeowners and renters might be starting to think about projects to improve their spaces and then, without realizing it, disturb potentially contaminated paint inside or outside their homes.

Lead from paint is the leading cause of lead poisoning in children; Take care and consider whether your little ones should get tested

If you are planning a project and your home was built before 1978 and, especially, before 1950, there is a good chance your paint contains lead. 

Dust from disturbed lead paint is the No. 1 way children are exposed to lead, causing permanent cognitive impairments and other health effects. But lead is a silent and sneaky poison. Only a blood test can confirm exposure or poisoning.

Children and toddlers who crawl are most vulnerable to lead poisoning; they spend more time on the floor, where lead dust and debris settles or is tracked in from outdoors. And they often touch their hands, fingers and other items to their mouths. Their bodies are also not able to flush out toxins as efficiently as adults and so they absorb more of what they take in.  

Exposure to lead from paint is preventable with awareness and action. Anyone considering a home renovation project should answer these questions:

  • Will this project disturb paint?

  • Might the paint contain lead?

  • Am I hiring a contractor who is licensed and certified in Oregon to work with lead-based paint?

Lead paint can hide under rugs and in corners, like on this covered porch in Portland
Lead paint can hide under rugs and in corners, like on this covered porch in Portland

People who want to tackle home renovations on their own should make sure to consider the health risks and make a plan. They should work carefully to contain dust and debris, and clean up thoroughly. 

And anyone can call the County’s Leadline with questions at 503-988-4000.

“My family moved into an older house a few months ago,” said Healthy Homes and Families Interim Director Brendon Haggerty. “With a toddler running around, we’re definitely taking extra care as we consider making changes to the house.”

When to have your child tested for lead

There is no level of lead in the blood that’s safe for children.

Lead exposure can permanently impair a child’s cognitive abilities and cause other health effects. Even low levels of lead exposure can impair a child’s cognitive development.

Lead exposure is so dangerous, in fact, that pediatric guidelines recommend screening or testing for children around the age of 1 and again at age 2. All children enrolled in Medicaid are required to get a blood lead test at ages 12 and 24 months. 

But national data suggests the COVID-19 pandemic caused families to miss scheduled screenings and other opportunities to catch lead exposure. 

The number of children in the United States tested for elevated blood lead levels dropped by about one-third with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In April 2020, compared to the previous year, Oregon saw a 40 percent decline in lead testing for children younger than 6. 

The pandemic also kept health officials from visiting people’s homes to investigate cases of elevated blood lead levels. 

“COVID-19 and the risks of entering homes has made it harder for us to directly support families who have children with elevated blood lead levels,” said Perry Cabot, Multnomah County’s lead prevention specialist. “So we’ve been teaching parents to be lead detectives, talking through strategies to identify and control lead hazards in their own homes.”

Little ones can easily reach chipping lead paint from low places in older homes
Little ones can easily reach chipping lead paint from low places in older homes

Cabot has spent more time on the phone, coaching adults who already know their children have been exposed to lead. It’s his job to help adults identify the source and stop the exposure. 

In the 2019 calendar year, 47 children in Multnomah County were found to have elevated blood lead levels. Cabot investigated 46 of those cases in which the source was unknown and potentially ongoing.

Early intervention is essential. Eliminating sources of lead in one child’s environment can also protect siblings and other children who might live in the residence afterwards. Children who live in households with incomes below the federal poverty level and those who live in housing built before 1978 are at the greatest risk of lead exposure.

Low- and moderate-income earners who live in older Portland homes can look to the City’s Lead Hazard Control Program for help with an evaluation of lead-based paint hazards and financial assistance to reduce lead-based paint hazards.

Anyone who is concerned can also call the Multnomah County Leadline to get information about testing and safe ways to handle lead-based paint. If your child’s test results show an elevated blood lead level, Leadline staff will follow up to help find and contain the source of lead exposure.

Questions? Contact the Leadline at 503-988-4000 or leadline@multco.us.