Myth:
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There is no way to prevent children from being lead poisoned.
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Fact:
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Lead poisoning is completely preventable. Get the facts and learn how to protect your children by getting lead out of your home safely.
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Myth:
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Children have to eat paint chips or chew on walls to be poisoned by lead.
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Fact:
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Children can be poisoned simply by breathing lead dust. They can also be poisoned by having lead dust on their toys or fingers and then putting their fingers in their mouths.
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Myth:
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Only children with very high levels of lead in their blood will be hurt by the lead.
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Fact:
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Even relatively low levels of lead in a child's blood can cause long-term problems and permanently affect learning and behavior.
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Myth:
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Only children who live in the inner city can be poisoned by lead.
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Fact:
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Any child, from any neighborhood, can be lead poisoned. Lead paint may be found in any home built before 1978.
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Myth:
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Lead poisoning is not a real problem. Many people who grew up in homes with lead paint are perfectly healthy.
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Fact:
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The lead paint that existed in homes 20 years ago is much more dangerous now. As lead paint gets older, it is likely to peel, chip, and create lead dust. This makes the current conditions much worse than any that existed in the past.
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Myth:
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Having a home de-leaded is much more dangerous than just leaving the lead paint undisturbed.
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Fact:
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Lead removal must be done by a licensed professional de-leader who will use safe techniques and clean up properly.
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Myth:
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As long as I keep my children away from lead paint they can't be poisoned by lead.
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Fact:
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There are many other potential sources of lead exposure. For example, if they drink tap water flowing through old deteriorated lead piping, or if you allow your children to play in a yard with lead-contaminated soil, they could still be exposed to dangerous levels of lead.
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