As early as 1940, paint manufacturers began to understand the dangers of lead in paint and voluntarily removed it from their products. Those who didn’t do so by choice did so by law when in 1978 the government banned lead from paint products. It would be nice to assume then that the dangers of lead paint are gone - with forty years behind us, there shouldn’t be any more worry that a coat of color could poison us or our children, but it still very well could.

Lead was removed from the manufacturing process in 1978. That did not immediately remove it from the products lining the shelves in stores nor did it take it from the walls that had already been painted. Older homes, particularly those in poorer or previously poorer areas, are very likely to have lead paint somewhere on their walls. This poses a danger to your family, as lead has been proven to cause developmental delays and lead poisoning, particularly in children. They have the most vulnerable bodies and are the most likely to nibble at a chip of paint or put something in their mouth they shouldn’t.

Lead poisoning can begin with a headache, nausea, stomach pain, irritability and lethargy, and can lead to extreme weight loss, seizure, coma, kidney problems and anemia. For those who are affected, it is a very really and dangerous problem.

So what should you do?

First, don’t get overly concerned about lead paint until you know for sure that it’s a problem. You may not have any; you may have only a square or two; or you may have a house lined with lead-based paint. To find out, hire a professional inspector to come survey your home and determine where, if at all, your areas of concern are. If he pinpoints one, two or ten, you can move on from there.

Your initial response to finding lead-based paint will probably be to remove it. But doing that can release the lead toxins into the air, causing lead poisoning and contradicting the very point of removal. Therefore, you want to find a way to cover or block the lead paint. If it’s an object, such as a banister, you can get rid of the entire thing and put in a new one. If it’s a wall, and the paint is in good condition, you can cover the area with wallpaper, paneling, plaster or drywall. Just don’t overlap with additional paint. That will unnecessarily thicken your walls and do nothing for the problem at hand.

Once you’ve covered the lead, you can relax. You’ve done the hard part, and barring a move, you’ll never have to worry about it again. Any paint you purchase today or tomorrow or fifty years down the line will have no lead in it. It will be safe and toxin free. Of course, you still won’t want your children to eat it, but if they do, you won’t have to worry that they’ve just poisoned themselves with lead. You can focus on other concerns, instead.