Many parents mistakenly feel lead isn’t a hazard to their children because their children are old enough not to be chewing or swallowing things. While the risk for acute poisoning might be small as your children are old enough not to swallow small objects, they are still at risk for chronic lead poisoning. Lead can easily be absorbed though the skin (just think about that jewelry that can turn your skin green!) or transferred from their hands to whatever they may be eating.

Even small amounts of lead absorbed into their body can cause lowered IQ, speech delays, learning disabilities, reduced growth, and behavior difficulties (e.g. ADHD). So even though recent regulations have been brought about by the relatively rare occurrence of acute poisoning (a child that swallowed a lead laden bracelet), the effects of low level long term exposure have been know for 20 years and federal agencies (EPS, CDC, & FDA) have been working to lower environmental exposure to lead by banning lead in gasoline and in dishes/flatware, for example. So, since there is no safe level of lead for children, and even small amounts can cause harm, it’s much better to have a lead-free environment.