LOOKING FOR LEAD: LEAD PAINT CAN BE A HAZARD. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR HOME IS SAFE?

It's spring, a time when families often beginning scraping or sanding to prepare walls and windows for a fresh coat of paint. However, homeowners or apartment dwellers considering projects should look to see what might be lurking just beneath the surface.

Homes or apartments built before 1978 may contain paint or plumbing made with lead, a potentially hazardous metal. Children under the age of 6 and family pets are especially at risk from the metal because their bodies absorb it more readily.

Lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to the brain, nerves and kidneys.

Use of lead was once common because of its durability. However, the federal government banned use of lead paint in homes in 1978 after learning of its toxicity to children.

Latex paint is now most often found in homes, but homeowners may not know if it covers a layer of lead paint. For this reason, the federal government requires lead paint testing in homes funded through its Housing and Urban Development division.

"Anything federally-funded must be tested," said Steve Williams, assistant housing coordinator for the city of Cape Girardeau. "If a city is doing a block grant program, we're required to test for lead in any house occupied by a female of child-bearing age, anyone who has a child under the age of 6, and in all rental properties."

(Lead paint is often revealed as it begins to peel. Unlike latex paint, which peels in long sheets, lead paint comes off in small, square pieces, often described as "alligator bag." Those small flakes can then be inhaled or swallowed by children who put hands covered with lead paint chips or dust in their mouths.

Children who are teething can also ingest lead by chewing directly on surfaces covered in lead paint.

Because of the hazards to children, county health departments are required to use a swab test to check for lead during initial inspections of child care centers. If the swab changes color, that indicates lead is present in the paint and a more thorough investigation is necessary.

Public health specialists also are called whenever blood tests reveal a child has an elevated blood lead level.

"We don't do them on a routine basis," said Mike Rockett with the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. "Our only time we really get involved is when it's an inspection or if a kid has come to us and had an elevated blood lead level, the nurses will turn it over to environmental public health specialists and we would go investigate."

Health officials recommend anyone who is considering remodeling a home built before 1978 to test paint before beginning. Home test kits are available at many hardware and paint stores. The kits generally include color-changing chemicals to detect lead. The tests do not indicate the how much lead is in paint, but they are quick, easy to do, and inexpensive.

For a moderate cost, some laboratories will analyze paint chips for lead. The analysts must be lead paint certified and should provide detailed instructions on how to safely collect and ship paint chips.

X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is the most expensive form of lead paint testing. A state-certified inspector must perform this test, which is conducted on large numbers of surfaces using a portable machine. The results and levels are immediately known with this test, but the machine is very expensive and not widely owned.

The nearest XRF meter in the region is owned by the state health department and kept in Poplar Bluff.

Lead paint which contained and is not flaking is not harmful. If lead paint is detected, the easiest way to contain it is to keep it covered with a fresh layer of latex paint.

The paint must not be allowed to chip or flake, and toys or eating utensils which brush against the painted surface should be washed immediately.

If necessary, contractors certified to perform lead-related construction jobs should be called to remove the paint safely. Never burn, sand, scrape or apply paint remover to a surface covered in lead paint.

"If it's not flaking it's usually not a problem, but this isn't something people normally should try to deal with their selves," said Rockett. "If they have evidence it's there, they really should try to contact someone certified to deal with it.")

Why is lead a problem?

Lead is a metal that is very dangerous for children because their bodies absorb it more readily. It becomes dangerous when it begins to chip and peal with age or wear.

Children are most often exposed to lead poisoning by inhaling lead dust or eating paint chips. They also can be exposed by playing in the soil around their homes. Young children who are teething also may be exposed by chwing directly on surfaces covered with lead-based paint.

Lead can be deangerous to the formation of the brain and other developing organs, and can cause permanent learning disability, behavioral problems, severe developmental delays and other serious health conditions.

In the home

Historically, lead has been used in paint, gasoline and plumbing. Homes built prior to the 1950s are more likely to have lead paint, which was commonly used in homes before it was banned from use in residential units in 1978.

Preventing lead poisoning

The best prevention is to ensure lead paint is properly contained in your home or removed by a certified lead paint abatement contractor. Replace lead-painted objects with new, lead-free items.

Cover surfaces that cannot be removed -- such as walls or floors -- with sheet rock, paneling or floor tiles. Remember that these surfaces must be kept in good condition. If the new paint or other surfaces peel or chip, the lead paint will be exposed again.

Do not try to remove the paint yourself by sanding, burning, scraping or using paint removers on the painted surface. This could result in toxic levels of led, which is exremely dangerous for children, pets, and at very high levels, adults.

Other preventive measures:

*Wash hands frequently to remove lead dust, especially after playing outside and before eating.

*Wash toys that come into contact with the ground.

*Eat a nutritious diet that is high in iron and calcium. Healthy foods can assist in prevening the absorption of lead into the body.