 If your home or apartment building was built before 1978, it could be poisoning your child! The great majority of paint used to decorate the interiors and exteriors of pre-1978 homes contains the heavy metal lead, which is a toxic substance for your child and can cause permanent decreases in cognitive function.
And the poisoning process can be much more subtle than a child directly ingesting chips of lead paint. Time, remodeling and even temperature changes can turn any exposed lead paint into an invisible layer of dust that can continually coat your floors, walls and furniture.
In D.C., thousands of homes have poisoned children in the last five years, mostly because parents didn’t know that lead was present in their home and that it could harm their child.
We can help
You CAN keep your child free of lead. Sign up for a free home visit from a certified outreach team member and:
- Learn effective cleaning and home management methods for keeping lead levels lower in your home.
- Have a lead dust swipe test conducted in several areas of your home to help determine if there is a lead dust hazard to your child.
- Get your test results from a nationally certified lab.
- Learn about DC tenants’ rights and how you can make sure your landlord is providing a lead free environment for you and your child.
- It’s as easy as calling 202-223-1777 and requesting a confidential home visit today.
Who We Are
Lead Safe D.C. is a non-profit program that combines a broad family education initiative and a grassroots public policy task force with the goal of ridding the nation’s capital of childhood lead poisoning.
The program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, is in its second year and has reached over 1,000 mothers in high-risk neighborhoods with lead poisoning prevention education.
If you are pregnant and/or a caregiver to a young child and you are wondering whether your home is safe from lead, WE CAN HELP. For a FREE home lead test call us at 202-223-1777. |
