Reduce your exposure to lead

Health risks

Lead poisoning can cause many harmful health effects, especially to your brain, nervous system, blood system and kidneys. The risks are greater for children, because their growing bodies are still developing and absorb lead more easily.

Exposure to even low levels of lead can cause harmful effects on children's development. Pregnant women must also be careful, as lead can pass through the placenta.

Exposure to high levels of lead can cause vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma or even death. But severe cases of lead poisoning are rare in Canada.

You can be exposed to lead by sucking, chewing, or swallowing products that have lead in them, or breathing lead fumes. Lead can stay in your body for over 25 years following exposure.

Lead in paint

Lead-based paint in your home is a serious health hazard if it is chipping or flaking, or if it is within the reach of children who might chew on it.

Your home probably contains lead-based paint if it was built before 1960. If built between 1960 and 1990, the exterior may contain lead-based paint. The paint on interior surfaces may also contain lead in smaller amounts that could still be harmful, especially to young children. Lead paint can cause harm to health if it enters the body. Houses built after 1990 should not contain lead because all consumer paints produced in Canada and the U.S. were virtually lead-free by this time.

How to know if you have a problem

• If you think the paint in your home may contain lead, have it tested. A certified inspector can measure paint lead levels in your home, or you can mail paint chip samples to a testing laboratory.
• To find an inspector or laboratory in your area, contact the Standards Council of Canada or the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation. Search online or check your local telephone directory for Laboratories - Analytical and Testing.
• Be sure to contact the lab first, and follow all directions for gathering and sending the paint chips.

What you can do if you have lead-based paint

• If the lead-based paint is in good condition and is not on a surface that a child might chew, your risk is minimal. It's best to leave it alone, paint over it, or cover it with wallpaper, wallboard or paneling.
• If the lead-based paint is cracking, chipping, flaking or peeling, or if it is on a surface that a child might chew, here is how you can remove the paint:
  • Do not use sanders, heat guns or blowlamps to remove paint in older homes. This can create dust and fumes that contain lead.
  • Use a chemical paint stripper, ideally one with a paste that can be applied with a brush.
  • Paint strippers also contain substances that may be harmful, so use them carefully. Keep children and pregnant women away from the work area and always wear goggles, gloves and a good-quality breathing mask. See the safe use of paint strippers for more information.
• See Health Canada's fact sheet lead-based paint before starting any renovation project in an older home.

Lead in plumbing

Plumbing systems in some homes may be connected to the watermain with lead pipes (also called lead service lines). The National Plumbing Code allowed lead as a material in pipes until 1975 and allowed the use of lead-based solder in plumbing until 1986. Some other brass plumbing parts or faucets may also contain lead. This lead can leach into drinking water if it has been sitting in the pipes for several hours.

How to know if you have a problem

You can check with your municipality or water utility to see if there are lead service lines in your area. A plumber can identify whether your service line (supply pipe) is made of lead. You can also look at the pipe entering your home, and if it is a greyish-black metal, that is soft and easily dented when scraped with a knife, it is likely made of or contains lead.

If there are lead service lines or other lead-based materials in your plumbing system, you can have your tap water tested for lead content. Some towns and cities have an established sampling program, while others may sample and test it if you ask them.  

Contact your local Public Health Department if you're concerned about high lead levels in your home's drinking water.

What you can do if you have lead in your plumbing

• Always let tap water run until it is cold before using it for drinking, cooking and especially for making baby formula. This is very important after water has been sitting in the pipes for long periods of time, like first thing in the morning.
• Don't use water from the hot water tap for cooking or drinking. Use cold water instead.
• If you have a lead service line, the best solution is to have it replaced, but there is a cost to the home owner and the municipality. Ask your municipality about programs or incentives for replacing lead service lines.
• Clean out aerators or screens at the tap regularly to remove any debris that could also contain lead.
• Replace any brass faucets or valves with fittings that are certified for use with drinking water.
• A water filter at the tap can serve as a temporary solution, but this will require proper maintenance and testing to ensure it is working. Make sure any such device is certified to the NSF International standard for removal of lead.
• See also: Water Talk: Minimizing Exposure to Lead from Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Other sources of lead

Other possible sources exposure to of lead include:

• consumer products containing lead, like costume jewellery, art supplies, leaded crystal and glazes on ceramics and pottery
• working on a hobby that involves the use of lead or lead solder, like making stained glass, lead shot or lead fishing weights
• use of lead ammunition for hunting
• wheel weights made of lead which, when they fall off vehicles, deteriorate into lead dust
• visiting older buildings that have flaking or peeling lead paint, or that are undergoing renovations
•  smoking or swallowing soil

Workers in smelters, refineries and other industries may be exposed to high levels of lead. Lead dust may be breathed in. It can also cling to skin, hair, clothing and vehicles and be carried to the home, exposing workers' families. Most provincial governments require that workers exposed to lead be monitored for blood lead levels.

What you can do to reduce your family's exposure to lead

• Clean your house regularly to remove dust and particles that may contain lead. This is especially important for surfaces that young children might touch often.
• Do not keep food or drinks in lead crystal containers for any length of time. Do not serve pregnant women or children drinks in crystal glasses. Babies should never drink from lead crystal.
• If you own glazed glass or ceramic dishes bought outside of Canada, do not use them for serving food or drinks. They may contain higher levels of lead than are allowed in Canada.
• If you have children 6 years of age or under, remove any horizontal PVC (plastic) mini-blinds made in Asia or Mexico from your home.
• Discourage children from putting things into their mouths unless they are intended to be mouthed (like food and pacifiers).
• If you work in a smelter, refinery or any other industry where you are exposed to high levels of lead, shower and change your clothing before going home. Make sure you have your blood lead level checked regularly.
• Never burn waste oil, coloured newsprint, battery casings or wood covered with lead paint in or near your home, because lead fumes may be released. Dispose of them through your city or town's hazardous waste program.
• If you use lead solder in a hobby (like making stained glass), use a good quality breathing mask, keep surfaces clean, and keep children and pregnant women out of the area. Wash hands after handling lead solder.
• Avoid eating wild game that has been shot with lead bullets. Use non-lead bullets and shot when hunting for food.
• If you are concerned about exposure to lead, speak to your doctor.