Lead Mitigation

What is Lead?

Lead is a naturally occurring element found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. While it has some beneficial uses, it can be toxic to humans and animals causing of health effects.

Where is Lead Found?

Lead can be found in all parts of our environment – the air, the soil, the water, and even inside our homes. Much of our exposure comes from human activities including the use of fossil fuels including past use of leaded gasoline, some types of industrial facilities, and past use of lead-based paint in homes. Lead and lead compounds have been used in a wide variety of products found in and around our homes, including paint, ceramics, pipes and plumbing materials, solders, gasoline, batteries, ammunition, and cosmetics.

Lead may enter the environment from these past and current uses. Lead can also be emitted into the environment from industrial sources and contaminated sites, such as former lead smelters. While natural levels of lead in soil range between 50 and 400 parts per million, mining, smelting, and refining activities have resulted in substantial increases in lead levels in the environment, especially near mining and smelting sites.

When lead is released to the air from industrial sources or vehicles, it may travel long distances before settling to the ground, where it usually sticks to soil particles. Lead may move from soil into ground water depending on the type of lead compound and the characteristics of the soil.

Federal and state regulatory standards have helped to reduce the amount of lead in air, drinking water, soil, consumer products, food, and occupational settings.

Learn more about sources of lead exposure:

• At home
• At schools and childcare facilities
• In products
• In drinking water
• In outdoor air
• In soil
• In dust

What are the Health Effects of Lead?

Lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. Children six years old and younger are most susceptible to the effects of lead.

Children

Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in:

• Behavior and learning problems
• Lower IQ and Hyperactivity
• Slowed growth
• Hearing Problems
• Anemia

In rare cases, ingestion of lead can cause seizures, coma and even death.

Pregnant Women

Lead can accumulate in our bodies over time, where it is stored in bones along with calcium. During pregnancy, lead is released from bones as maternal calcium and is used to help form the bones of the fetus. This is particularly true if a woman does not have enough dietary calcium. Lead can also cross the placental barrier exposing the fetus the lead.  This can result in serious effects to the mother and her developing fetus, including:

• Reduced growth of the fetus
• Premature birth

Find out more about lead’s effects on pregnancy:

• Effects of Workplace Hazards on Female Reproductive Health,National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Lead can also be transmitted through breast milk. Read more on lead exposure in pregnancy and lactating women (PDF) (302 pp, 4.2 MB, About PDF).

Other Adults

Lead is also harmful to other adults. Adults exposed to lead can suffer from:

• Cardiovascular effects, increased blood pressure and incidence of hypertension
• Decreased kidney function
• Reproductive problems (in both men and women)

The home is where the family comes together to experience security, shelter and safety. Because we spend more than 50 percent of our lives indoors, it is important to make sure our families have a healthy home in which to live. Children are at a higher risk because they are still growing, discovering their environment and spending much of their time where many hazards exist.

Some of the serious health problems children experience start from what families do or have in their homes. Good mental and physical health depends on homes that are well maintained and free of hazards. On the other hand, poorly maintained homes and homes containing health hazards, promote poorer quality health and risk of injury. The seven principles of healthy housing as defined by the National Center for Healthy Housing are:

• Clean
• Dry
• Ventilated
• Safe
• Well-maintained
• Free of pests
• Free of contaminants

Understanding, identifying and eliminating the dangers that may be in your home, may protect your family. To assist you in evaluating your home for hazards, the program has developed the brochure, Keeping Your Home Healthy and Safe.

About 75 percent of Illinois homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. Lead-based paint was used both inside and outside of homes, especially on windows, baseboards, trim and doors to ensure its durability. After many years of exposure to moisture and climate changes, the paint begins to deteriorate, causing lead dust and chips to settle in window wells, and on door frames and porches. Even the deepest layers of lead-based paint can be disturbed during remodeling or home repair. The only way to know for sure if your home contains lead-based paint is to have it tested by a licensed lead professional. You can search for a licensed lead inspector or risk assessor in your area using the links located at on this page.  Refer to the Code to find the information that is required to be provided on the lead inspection and risk assessment reports. You also may use the links to locate lead contractors that are qualified to remove any lead-based paint or lead hazards identified in your home.

The Program employs regional staff and has delegate agency agreements for local health department staff to conduct risk assessments of dwellings of children who exhibit have been confirmed with elevated blood lead levels. Homes with hazardous lead-based paint conditions are required to have the paint or the component that is coated with lead-based paint removed, permanently covered, or mitigated.

The Program also licenses lead paint inspectors, lead risk assessors, lead abatement contractors, lead supervisors, and lead workers and approves lead training courses for individuals.