Health and Home Safety

//Health and Home Safety

Health and Home Safety

Lead

If you live in a home built prior to 1978, almost all homes in Newburgh Heights, it is likely lead paint was used in your home. If you need more tips on how to be sure your child is safe from lead at home you may contact the Cuyahoga County Board of Health http://www.ccbh.net/?search=Search&s=lead or contact the Newburgh Height’s Housing and Building Department for resources.

The following is a list of tips to help keep your home safe from lead. Keep in mind that landlords are required to make repairs to their properties to keep your family safe. If you live in a rental property with any peeling paint, large patches of bare dirt on the premises, or if your child has tested positive for lead notify your landlord in writing. Date the letter and keep a copy for your records. Under Ohio law, landlords have 30 days to make the repairs. For more information contact The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland at 216-687-1900.

  • Talk to your state or local health department about testing paint and dust from your home for lead. Cuyahoga County Board of Health, 216-201-2000.
  • Make sure your child does not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.
  • Children and pregnant women should not be present in housing built before 1978 that is undergoing renovation. They should not participate in activities that disturb old paint or in cleaning up paint debris after work is completed.
  • Create barriers between living/play areas and lead sources. Until environmental clean-up is completed, you should clean and isolate all sources of lead. Close and lock doors to keep children away from chipping or peeling paint on walls. You can also apply temporary barriers such as contact paper or duct tape, to cover holes in walls or to block children’s access to other sources of lead.
  • Regularly wash children’s hands and toys. Hands and toys can become contaminated from household dust or exterior soil. Both are known lead sources.
  • Regularly wet-mop floors and wet-wipe window components. Because household dust is a major source of lead, you should wet-mop floors and wet-wipe horizontal surfaces every 2-3 weeks. Windowsills and wells can contain high levels of leaded dust. They should be kept clean. If feasible, windows should be shut to prevent abrasion of painted surfaces or opened from the top sash. 
  • Take off shoes when entering the house to prevent bringing lead-contaminated soil in from outside.
  • Prevent children from playing in bare soil; if possible, provide them with sandboxes. Plant grass on areas of bare soil or cover the soil with grass seed, mulch, or wood chips, if possible. Until the bare soil is covered, move play areas away from bare soil and away from the sides of the house. If you have a sandbox, cover the box when not in use to prevent cats from using it as a litter box. That will help protect children from exposure to animal waste.