Fact Sheet: Lead in Schools
Remember that some areas of your school may be off-limits without permission from your teacher or principal, and some projects should be done with at least one partner. Check with your teacher before beginning any of the activities or projects listed here.
Why It Matters
Lead is a metal that can be found in soil, peeling paint and drinking water. Even in small quantities, it can affect your brain, your nervous system and other parts of your body.
Lead was once widely used in medicines, gasoline, paint and pipes. It was even used in make-up! Although lead is still around -- for instance, it's in some kinds of pottery and even in some scented candles -- today we use a lot less of it. That's because we've learned that it's very dangerous. Lead can make it harder for your body to use oxygen. It can also cause memory or learning problems, and possibly cancer. Even at very low levels, lead is harmful. And if it builds up in a person's body, the effects become worse.
It's now against the law to use lead in many materials, including gasoline, paint and plumbing fixtures. But there's still a lot of leftover lead in the environment. For example, before the United States banned lead in gasoline, it got into the air as exhaust, and then gradually settled into soil. Also, many plumbing systems still contain lead, so drinking water can absorb lead as it moves through the pipes.
Many older buildings still have old layers of lead paint. When that paint flakes, lead chips or dust can escape into the air and settle in the soil -- or on you. Lead chips can be particularly dangerous for young children, who often put things in their mouths. (Lead has a little bit of a sweet taste. Ancient Romans used to put it in their wine!)
What Kids Can Do
It's very important to avoid contact with lead. School officials should take steps to protect kids (see What Your School Can Do, below), but you need to do your part, too, by following these tips.
- Be cautious about dust or chips from old paint: Lead was banned from paint in 1978. If your school was built before then, it probably has old layers of lead paint beneath newer layers. (Ask your teacher or principal when your school was built if you're not sure.) If the old paint is completely covered, it's usually not a problem. But if your school's paint has cracks or is chipping, lead paint can be exposed -- and can spread around. Dust on window sills usually contains the most lead. You can't know just by looking if paint chips or dust contain lead. So to be safe, you should assume they do. Try not to get paint dust on your clothes or hands. Whenever you see cracked or chipped paint, report it immediately to your teacher or principal. Also report it if you see dust in the air from renovation work going on in your school -- and stay out of the area.
- Clean up well after playing on a dirt surface: Whenever you spend time in an area with exposed dirt, like a track or soccer field, make a point of cleaning up afterward. (If you have the choice of where to play, pick grass over dirt.) Brush dust off your clothes, but be careful not to breathe it in. Wash your hands and face to keep lead dust away from your food -- and from your mouth. Wash your clothes when you get home.
- Eat right: Here's one more reason to eat well: If you do, your body will take in less lead. For instance, your body can mistake lead for calcium, so if you don't eat enough calcium your body could absorb more lead. (Good sources of calcium include dark green leafy vegetables and dairy products -- including ice cream.)
What Your School Can Do
- Repair cracks or chips in paint: In any school built before 1978, old layers of lead paint could be hiding beneath newer paint jobs. To ensure that lead from the old paint doesn't spread, maintenance staff must repair any chips or cracks as soon as they appear.
- Prevent lead from spreading during paint jobs or renovations: Painters or anyone else who does work on your school must keep dust from spreading by putting up and taping down heavy plastic sheets or other barriers. They should also clean up all the dust every day. These simple steps can keep lots of lead away from soil and out of your school. If you see that either of these rules is being broken, tell your teacher or the principal immediately.
Project Ideas
- Lead alerts: Do the kids in your school know that soil can contain lead? Make posters reminding them to brush or wash off dirt after playing sports. Post them in bathrooms or locker rooms and by the gym door.
- Lead tests: Get a group together and with a teacher's supervision test different areas of your school for lead. You can test dust on windowsills, soil (especially in areas near the building) or water from the tap. Inexpensive lead-testing kits are available from the University of North Carolina's Environmental Quality Institute (828 251-6104), which will analyze and explain the results. (You can also use these kits to test lead levels at home.) Contact the institute directly if you're interested in testing multiple sites at your school.