For decades, lead was used in many household products. You could find it in the gas in your car, in the paint on your walls, the pipes in your home, and even in your children’s toys. As scientists have learned more about the dangers of lead, we’ve worked hard to get it out of our lives. 

Since 1978, leaded paint has been banned in the United States. But if you have an older home, there still might be some lead paint hiding on your walls and moldings. You might not know it, but lead paint is very sweet, and sometimes young children will eat it if they find chips on the floor or windowsill.  

This can be very dangerous. But there are things you can do to protect them. Check our website on how to keep your home safe from lead, which has a list of easy-to-do things that can help cut your child’s risk. 

Every parent in Philadelphia should also get their child tested for lead exposure at least once, and we recommend two tests. These are easy blood tests that can be done at your child’s one- and two-year-old pediatrician appointments.  

If a child’s test results show that they’ve been exposed to lead, staff from our Lead and Healthy Homes Program can provide free home inspections, health education, and assistance with cleaning up the problem so we can stop the exposure and help protect your children.