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Lead-Safe Roanoke II
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should residents in the City of Roanoke be concerned about lead?
Communities affected by lead often do not know the potential hazard. Lead poisoning is a serious threat to the health of America’s children. Lead was a common ingredient in household paint until is was banned in 1978. Unfortunately, 86.7% (39,239 houses) of the houses in Roanoke were built before the ban on lead paint; meaning that the majority of houses in the City or Roanoke most likely contain some lead paint. Roanoke has the 4th highest percentage of elevated blood lead level (EBLL) cases in the state of Virginia. Only Richmond, Fairfax and Norfolk claimed higher percentages of EBLL cases. Through educational efforts, we hope to increase every resident's knowledge, awareness and concern of the dangers associated with lead poisoning, making every home in the City of Roanoke, lead-safe, so that all children have the chance to enjoy healthy and productive lives.
The most recent data for the numbers of lead-poisoned children in Roanoke as reported by the Virginia Department of Health are:
- 58 in 2002
- 39 in 2003
- 42 in 2004
- 28 in 2005
- 16 in 2006
Source: Virginia Department of Health, http://www.vahealth.org/leadsafe/data.htm
What is lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning is a serious and preventable illness caused by swallowing or breathing lead. People are exposed to lead by breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or swallowing or touching dust or dirt that contains lead. The most common source of lead poisoning is lead-based paint and paint dust. Older homes may contain lead-based paint on inside and outside surfaces. When lead-based paint chips, peels or flakes, it can become a lead hazard. The lead in the paint can turn to lead dust, which may enter the body through inhalation (breathing in) or hand-to-mouth contact. Lead dust is the biggest threat of lead paint and is created when doors, windows or other painted surfaces rub against each other and is often difficult to see.
What are some common sources of lead?
Lead can come from many sources, but is hard to detect because you cannot see, taste or smell lead. Some of the most common source of lead are:
- Soil contaminated with lead paint chips
- Food grown in lead-contaminated soil
- Certain home hobbies and jobs in which one would come into contact with or use lead-based products (stained glass, target practice)
- Water that has passed through lead lined pipes
- Pottery that has been improperly glazed
- Imported window blinds and imported children’s toy jewelry
- Car batteries
- Bullets
- Artist paint
- Folk medicine
- Curtain weights
- Stained glass
- Antique pewter
- Leaded crystal
- Fishing sinkers
What are the symptoms of lead poisoning?
Symptoms of lead poisoning vary and can include any combination of the following:
- Headaches
- Stomach aches
- Tiredness (loss of energy) or hyperactivity
- Constipation
- Poor appetite
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Dizziness
- Muscle and joint weakness or pain
- Reduced attention span
- Metallic taste in mouth
- Irritability or crankiness
- Loss of weight
- Loss of interest in playing
Parents often don’t notice these signs because they usually go away quickly or look like other illnesses like the flu. Many times there are NO SIGNS of lead poisoning and often the signs are mistaken for other illnesses such as the flu. Only through testing can we tell for sure if a child has an elevated blood lead level (EBLL).
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