Lead poisoning

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Plumbism

You can reduce your exposure to lead. Consider the following steps:

• If you suspect you may have leaded paint in your house, get advice on safe removal from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at 800-RID-LEAD or the National Information Center at 800-LEAD-FYI.
• Keep your home as dust free as possible.
• Everyone should wash their hands before eating.
• Throw out old painted toys if you do not know whether the paint contains lead.
• Let tap water run for a minute before drinking or cooking with it.
• If your water has been tested high in lead, consider installing an effective filtering device or switch to bottled water for drinking and cooking.
• Avoid canned goods from foreign countries until the ban on lead soldered cans goes into effect.
• If imported wine containers have a lead foil wrapper, wipe the rim and neck of the bottle with a towel moistened with lemon juice, vinegar, or wine before using.
• Don't store wine, spirits, or vinegar-based salad dressings in lead crystal decanters for long periods of time, as lead can leach out into the liquid.

Another excellent source of information is the National Lead Information Center at (800) 424-5323.

Try to identify the following information:

• The patient's age, weight, and condition
• The name of the product or the object you think had lead in it
• The date/time the lead was swallowed or inhaled
• The amount swallowed or inhaled

If someone has severe symptoms from possible lead exposure, such as vomiting or seizures, call 911 immediately.

For other symptoms that you think may be caused by lead poisoning, call your local poison control center.

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.