Bright Futures Begin Lead Free

Children's Health Month Week 4 

This week is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Lead is toxic, especially to young children. Exposure to lead can cause delayed growth and development, lower IQ and learning issues, result in damage to the brain and nervous system, and result in hearing, speech, and behavior problems. These effects may not always be immediately visible and may manifest later in life. Prevention is key and can be achieved with proper awareness and action.

Learn more about lead and what you can do.

Resource Spotlight

Heavy Metals in Cultural Products Toolkit

EPA’s Heavy Metals Toolkit has information on how to identify and reduce lead exposure to products people may not easily recognize as potentially hazardous.

Some cultural products like cosmetics, religious powders, spices, traditional medicine, and cookware, can contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. The Heavy Metals Toolkit identifies outreach materials designed to teach the public about how to identify and reduce exposure from these hazardous products and contains federal, state, and local resources in multiple languages.

Learn more about Children's Health and Healthy School Environments.