(WENY) -- October 20th through the 26th marks National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The CDC says about 3.3 million American households with children younger than 6 years old have lead exposure hazards. Lead poisoning is preventable, and there are both at home and professional ways to get your home checked out for lead.
"It's usually in the paint. It's usually in wood painted surfaces. Old windows and doors, old siding things along those lines," said Daryl Heffron, an EPA Risk Assessor.
The federal government banned use of lead based paint in homes in 1987. According to experts, lead is most often found in homes built before that year. Children are among those most vulnerable to lead poisoning. Experts say early exposure can lead to delayed development, and getting treatment right away is crucial.
"Children, when they're young and growing quickly, their brains are developing very quickly, and the lead sequestered in the fatty tissue affects their cognitive ability. It affects their ability to learn language. Sometimes physical, it depends on the concentration," said Rene Borgella, the supervisor of the Childhood Lead Program for Environmental Health with Tompkins County Whole Health.
To test for lead, you can get a home test kit at a hardware store, or call a professional to do an x-ray fluorescence test. If you have lead in your home, there's a couple of ways to manage the possible exposure.
"It could be just more frequent cleaning," added Heffron. "It could be fresh coats of paint, it could be adjusting surfaces so that they don't rub against each other, like old windows and doors, and the best thing that you can do is replace or permanently cover that component with a new one that doesn't have lead in it."
If you think your child has been exposed to lead, experts say to get in contact with a medical professional as soon as possible. There are many resources available locally to help teach about lead poisoning and exposure, like Tompkins County Whole Health.