According to a 1997 report issued by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, lead is an environmental toxicant that
may adversely affect the nervous, hematipoietic, endocrine, renal
and reproductive systems (Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease
Registry, 1993). Lead exposure in young children is a greater
hazard because children absorb lead more readily than do adults
and because the developing nervous systems of children are more
susceptible to the effects of lead (CDC, 1991). Blood lead levels
as low as 10 micrograms per deciliter can negatively affect the
behavior and development of children (CDC, 1991). The Center for
Disease Control has identified lead as the greatest environmental
hazard to children under the age of six years.
Residential paint containing up to 50% lead was in widespread
use through the 1940s; lead usage in residential paint declined
after the 1940s and was banned in 1978 (CDC, 1997).
By using Census data from 1990, the State of California has identified
zip codes in Santa Barbara County that have a high number of housing
units built before 1978. Older homes in good repair are not as
big a threat. It is important to consider the possibility of a
lead exposure if you work on your home by sanding or scraping
old paint.
| Area of County |
ZIP Code
|
Percent
pre-1960’s
|
Total Number Units
|
|
Summerland
|
93067
|
52
|
1,288
|
|
Santa Barbara
|
93101
|
58
|
12,285
|
|
Santa Barbara
|
93103
|
56
|
6,871
|
|
Santa Barbara
|
93105
|
52
|
10,071
|
|
Montecito
|
93108
|
51
|
4,725
|
|
Santa Barbara
|
93109
|
51
|
4,644
|
|
Santa Barbara
|
93110
|
28
|
5,838
|
|
Cuyama
|
93214
|
71
|
102
|
|
New Cuyama
|
93254
|
66
|
325
|
|
Casmalia
|
93429
|
42
|
105
|
|
Guadalupe
|
93434
|
31
|
2,224
|
|
Vandenberg AFB
|
93437
|
41
|
1,747
|
|
Lompoc (P.O.Boxes)
|
93438
|
36
|
1,825
|
|
Santa Maria
|
93454
|
28
|
18,095
|
|
Santa Maria (P.O.Boxes)
|
93456
|
29
|
2,243
|
|
Solvang
|
93463
|
27
|
2,004
|
|
Un-incorporated County
|
93457
|
27
|
733
|
|
Total
|
|
|
75,314
|
Other sources of Lead Exposure
The United States Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) sets standards at the national level for the amount of lead
that can pass out of, or "leach" from dishes (www.fda.gov/).
Tableware with lead levels greater than these standards cannot
legally be sold in the U.S. Imported ceramics that are not intended
for food use must be stamped "unsuitable for food use"
or be made incapable of holding liquid. Unfortunately, items such
as imported ceramic bean pots are often used for cooking. Many
times these pots contain high levels of lead in the glaze. Food
cooked in the pots absorbs the lead from the glaze and can cause
young children to become lead poisoned. Some characteristics of
tableware that is associated with hazardous amounts of lead (California
Tableware Education and Enforcement Program, 1998):
1. Rustic terra cotta pottery with a clear or colored glaze.
2. Rough, imperfect glaze; glaze that is coming off or damaged.
3. Decoration or decal on top of the glaze.
4. Bright colors or decoration on the food-bearing part of the
dish.
You can't always tell by looking at the dish. The only way to
tell for sure is to have the dish tested for lead. An easy way
to test tableware for lead is to use a Lead Check Swab (sold in
paint and hardware stores). If the swab turns red then there is
lead present.
Leaded crystal contains high amounts of lead. Liquids stored
in these containers can absorb lead from the crystal.
References
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Toxicology profile for lead. Atlanta, Georgia: US Department of
Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, 1993; publication number PB93-182475.
California Tableware Education and Enforcement Program. Lead
in Tableware Resource Packet, 1998. A project of the Public Health
Institute, Berkeley, CA.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Preventing
lead poisoning in young children: A statement by the Centers for
Disease Control. Atlanta, Georgia: US Department of Health and
Human Services, Public Health Service, 1991.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Update: Blood
lead levels-United States, 1991-1994. Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, February
21, 1997, Vol. 46, No. 7.
