Do you ever wonder why your allergies are suddenly becoming worse? Or why the air inside of your home isn’t as clean or breathable as it used to be a few months ago? If so, you may want to think about getting an indoor air quality test done.

With increasing levels of pollution, allergens, and toxins in the environment, testing for lead could be an important step when assessing our overall health and welfare. Whether you’re concerned about breathing issues, asthma triggers, or other pollutants present in the air we breathe daily at home, lead could potentially be a complicating factor that’s going overlooked!

What is Lead and Lead Exposure?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Lead is a naturally occurring element found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. While it has some beneficial uses, it can be toxic to humans and animals, causing health effects.”

Lead exposure in children can cause:

• Damage to the brain and nervous system
• Slowed growth and development
• Learning and behavior problems
• Hearing and speech problems

In pregnant women it can cause:

• Increased risk of gestational hypertension
• Spontaneous abortion
• Low birth weight
• Impaired neurodevelopment
• Impact on breastfeeding

Where Can Lead Be Found?

In everyday life, where can lead potentially be hiding? It’s important to be aware of the possible places where levels of lead could be present in order to prevent any sort of exposure — after all, no level of lead exposure is safe!

Common places where lead can be found include:

• Paint in homes built before 1978
• Soil, yards, and playgrounds
• Dust in homes built before 1978
• Toy jewelry, cosmetics, and old toys
• Water through corrosion of plumbing materials
• And much more!

If you live in an older home that was built before 1978, make sure you get your home inspected for lead! The effects of lead exposure, no matter how little, can be avoided if you take the right steps towards ensuring a healthy home air quality.

How Luce Air Quality Can Help

If you suspect your home may contain levels of lead, Luce Air Quality is here to help! With our thorough investigative services, including our healthy building checkups, you can rest assured that our team of certified indoor environmental experts will solve all of your air quality problems. If you’re ready to take the next step in protecting your home and your loved ones from lead exposure or have any questions, contact the Luce Air Quality team today or call 904-803-1014!