Lead Poisoning Prevention Guidance for Parents and Caregivers

young child looking with words how would you know if your child has lead poisoning?

There is no safe level of lead in the body. Lead can harm anyone, but babies, young children and pregnant women are at special risk. A child with lead poisoning doesn’t look or act sick, but lead can cause serious health problems.

In 2022, lead was found in over 1,000 Vermont children under the age of 6. Have your doctor test your child for lead at 1 and again at 2 years of age. It's the only way to know!

How Children Come in Contact with Lead

Babies and young children commonly come in contact with lead by swallowing it. Lead dust or soil clings to hands, toys and objects that children put in their mouths. They may eat, chew or suck on lead-painted objects — such as windowsills, toys or furniture. Babies and young children are at highest risk because their developing bodies absorb lead more easily.

Sources of Lead

Dust from lead-based paint is the major source of lead poisoning among children. Children can be poisoned by lead in their own home, at child care or in a caretaker's home. Any home built before 1978 likely has lead-based paint in it. In 1978, lead was banned from house paint, but about 60% of Vermont homes were built before 1978.

Over time, lead paint on surfaces crumbles into invisible dust — especially from opening and closing doors and windows — that contaminates homes and soil. Even if the home has been repainted since 1978, the opening and closing of doors and windows can release lead dust from the original lead-based paint.

Lead can also come from your job or hobbies — such as auto body work, painting or scraping paint, making stained glass, or casting lead toys, sinkers or bullets. Home renovations can create lead dust that can harm children and people who are pregnant.

Learn more about lead hazards and how to prevent lead poisoning

Health Effects of Lead Poisoning

The harm done by lead may never go away. Too much lead in the body, or lead poisoning, in children can:

Hurt the brain, kidneys and nervous system
Slow down growth and development
Make it hard to learn
Damage hearing and speech
Cause behavior problems

Curious to learn how lead poisoning damages our brains? Watch this video

Health effects of lead poisoning in pregnant people and adults

Your Questions Answered

Is there a way to be tested for lead?

What happens if my child has a high lead test result?

Are there any resources on lead poisoning and how to prevent it?

Title	Description
Blood Lead Screening Guidelines	Review the guidelines for health care providers that outline when to test children for lead.
Don’t Spread Lead	This step-by-step guide from the New England Lead Coordinating Committee is for do-it-yourselfers and offers advice on how to protect your family from lead poisoning during small renovation projects.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) Lead Guide	Learn about lead, how to protect your family from lead poisoning, and lead-safe renovating requirements for contractors.
Finding Lead in Your Home	Find out where lead is found, if you or your family is at risk, and what you can do to protect your child from lead poisoning.
Healthy Yard: Is Your Yard Lead Proof?	Find out how to reduce or remove lead exposures from your yard with this EPA guide.
Henry and Fred Learn About Lead - Book	Teach young children about the dangers of lead poisoning and how they can protect themselves with this children's book.
Henry and Fred Learn About Lead - Video	Here's a video version of the book Henry and Fred Learn about Lead.
How to Do a Home Lead Dust Test	Watch this step-by-step video explaining how to test your home for lead dust.
Lead and Your Job: What Adults Should Know About Lead Poisoning	Read this fact sheet on how adults can become exposed lead while on the job and how to reduce children’s exposure to lead that may be taken home from the job.
Lead in Drinking Water	Learn about lead in drinking water and how to test for it.