....my toddler has them 
We moved into an older home at the end of July....
I'm really anxious about this!
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: poor baby!
I hope everything will be okay! 
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Oh no, I am so sorry.
We live in an old home and this is one of my worries. Have you been remodeling? or just from everyday use?
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@cmomma17: @MsBadger: thank you! No remodeling since it is a rental.
On top of all this I just found out a few days ago that I am pregnant. So now worried that I may be giving my child lead poisoning! I got my levels checked today and should have results by Wednesday.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: oh my goodness, congrats!!!
Try not to worry too much, I'm sure everything will be fine. How did LO get diagnosed? Is there a treatment?
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Oh no! Poor baby! My husband does environmental testing so when he gets home ill ask him if he knows anything about lead management or removal. Do you know if the source is old paint or something else? Have you seen any related issues in your LO? I'm so sorry!
Congrats on your pregnancy!
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: Argh... That's terribly frustrating. If I remember correctly, the cut-offs are pretty strict...so the testing is very "sensitive." Only very high levels get treatment. Your landlord should have to engage in environmental mitigation (I think?) right away! Is it possible for you to move?
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Was it a finger prick or a venous draw? They can look very different. Our friend had a falsely elevated level with a capillary draw that was found to be normal on venous screening.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/publications/books/plpyc/Chapter6.htm#Screening%20Method
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@Mrs. Jacks: it was from the vein!
He "rang" a six.@FliegepilzHut: His level was only a six so not very high but they want to wait three months to follow up and I'm afraid if it is the house it will get higher?
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@FliegepilzHut: and yeah moving is definitely on the table, which breaks my heart because I love our house
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: you can buy test kits for your house to see if it is your home. Keep dust down and mitigate any areas that may be problems. Our last house had a minor problem, but we repaired and repainted and mitigated the problem.
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According to DH who did a stint in public health working on the lead paint issues, the most common cause of led poisoning in a house comes from lead paint friction. Contrary to popular belief it's not so much eating paint chips as it is breathing lead dust. So things like opening and closing lead painted windows and doors create dust that then becomes airborne. Eating paint chips and gnawing on painted surfaces can also cause elevated levels, but that's usually a little more obvious. We tested all of our painted surfaces and we try not to us any of our contaminated windows if we can help it.
You may already know all this, so feel free to ignore
I just thought it may help decrease his levels for the retest.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: I suppose it would also be reasonable to take a hard look at any toy recalls that might affect your household. Just in case...
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@MsBadger: what about water? The windows have been replaced and are double paned aluminum so I'm thinking they aren't an issue? Plus we haven't opened them.
Could it be the bath tub? It is probably original to the home..
This house is a rental so we can get the landlord to do something to help us, if the damage is not too extensive.
Could it be that I got him some enamelware cups from a thrift store?
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Other places to look are the yard either at home or maybe even at the park.
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I'm at home now. Honestly none of the trim around the windows or doors looks original to the house. And the doors themselves aren't even painted, just stained. We will check tonight with a test, but I also came across this...
This is very interesting!
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My sister owns a old house that has lead pipes as well as paint and tub.
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@pinkb: oh my! Does she get her levels checked?
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: She does not. We stayed with her for a week and it made me paranoid! The paint and tub she doesnt worry about, but she always lets the water run before using it out of the tap. She lives by herself so there is no worry about kids or anything.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: can you test your tub? Ours is old.
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What kind of eating utensils does LO use? I read an article in Parents Magazine (I think) not too long ago about elevated lead levels a family was dealing with traced back to the cheap silverware they were all using. Kind of random, and of course I can't find the link...but maybe worth checking out? Good luck!
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@FLnative12: he uses the Gerber ones with the silicone handles! Hubs is going out to get a test kit tonight and we will test for sure!
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@ladybee: you can! Although I think it will permanently stain the portion you test, but it is worth it to me.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: I know what I'll be doing this weekend!
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I asked DH to brainstorm after you said you had new windows, no remodeling, etc. He said the usual things they look at are house (inside and outside paint, water, pipe fittings...), hobbies (model cars, stained glass...), vocation (what does your DH do?, something to do with mechanics, ammo, batteries, electronics...), where does LO spend time other than home (outside, grandparents...)
DH said to contact your public health department and see if they will come do an environmental assessment of your house. There really isn't anything your landlord can do until they find the cause, and it may not be the house. Since you just moved in in July there is a good chance this house has nothing to do with it. Lead exposure is cumulative so LO may have been exposed to the culprit over a good chunk of time.
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@MsBadger: Thank you so much for this info! I pray it isn't this house, because we love it and are just maxed out with the stress right now. My husband is a lawyer and has like, no hobbies at all! Well, he did before he had kids. My LO does like to climb all over the riding mower and is constantly taking the batteries out of the TV remote.
We did notice the baseboards are looking pretty rough/old.
Also did I mention he drinks out of a camping mug I got at goodwill? The enamel coated kind? I'm praying that is the culprit since it is an easy fix. My hubs is at Home Depot right now getting a kit.
There are people in Atlanta (nearest big city) that do lead inspections. Would they be better or worse than the health department? I am sure the HD would be cheaper!
Thanks so much for talking this through with your husband! We are stumped. My test comes back Wednesday and maybe that will give us more of an idea of what is going on.
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@MsBadger: We found the (a?) culprit...the bathtub tested positive with a home kit. We are going to check the baseboards, but it seems like this may be the answer. His utentils checked out fine.
I'm a little heartbroken because I don't know how we can fix this
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Okay I spoke to my husband and he basically said that with any lead based paint its just bet to make sure it's encased. Other than that he said lead based dust will usually disperse pretty quickly. The areas you want to check are your pipes and your windowsills. He also said to use wet and disposable rags to clean all surfaces floors windows and such. You can easily have your water tested for lead by finding a local lab and collect and sending them a sample (it's not expensive) and the city you live in may even cover the cost or test for you. Another thing he mentioned is to check all of your dishes and pottery and make sure you aren't using anything old that could contain lead. Good luck my dear! Let me know of I can ask him any specific questions for you!!!
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: oh just saw that you found the bathtub!! Have you checked your water yet? It can e in the pipes. You can probably replace or encase the bathtub. I'll ask my husband!
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@MrsMccarthy: I don't think it is removeable! It would be a huge reno project and this is just a rental so I doubt the landlord will do it. It is an old iron tub and to take it out would be a huge PITA. Possibly resurfacing it would work but then I would have to make the judgement call about whether or not that was sufficient.
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Don't be heart broken! Be glad you found something! And actually I think this might be easier for the landlord to take care of than windows or every inch of trim in the house. A bathtub is certainly replaceable or it can be covered with a fiberglass tub shell which would solve the problem.
We have an old cast iron tub that I will definitely be testing ASAP. DH said they never mentioned tubs when he was working at the health department we never thought to test it when we were testing all our paint.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: Our old bathtub in our rental was re-coated twice in the 3 years we lived there and it just didn't hold (would flake off) up even though we let it cure for over twice as long as the recommended time. It was rental workers who did it, so maybe they didn't do it correctly, but just a warning. We just used our primo eurobath because I never wanted LO directly in that tub.
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My husband said you should absolutely coat the bathtub with the most water resistant paint that you can find and a few coats. If it starts to flake off don't sand it but very gently peel off using a scraper the section that comes loose and discard it then put a new layer of paint on. He also said that even if you stop bathing your son I that tub if you don't coat it you will track lead all over the house everytime you use it. He said to scrub the floors top to bottom then and that you should continue to check the house because he highly doubts that the tub is the only area if your sons leeks are high. Have the water checked out too so you can find out if its in the pipes.
Good luck!!! I'm so sorry that you are going through this!
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Look at the laws in your state and municipality. In many, it's on the landlord to fix any lead problems and you are protected from retaliation when it's time to renew your lease. It's common where I am for landlords to ask you to sign a lead waiver saying there are no kids in the house, but it's an unenforceable document since your right to a lead-free home is non-waivable.
And if you need a nuclear option, there is always complaining to the landlord's insurance company. Landlords often carry insurance to protect them from damages should any tenant or former tenant win a lead-related lawsuit. Since the insurance company has skin in the game, they often have the right to hire contractors to fix a problem if the landlord won't fix it.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: can I ask why you had your toddler's levels tested? Were there signs?
We live in an old house and I think I need to follow up on this! -
@lizzywiz: If you have an old house, you should probably get your child's levels tested. I told our pediatrician that we live in an old house, and now she tests DD at every check-up appointment.
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@lizzywiz: for us it was a routine test at the 1 yr well exam- everyone gets it
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@skibobrown: @Mamaof2: Wow- not routine in our neck of the woods! LO is 28 months and Dr. hasn't said/ asked word 1 about lead. Definitely following up!
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@lizzywiz: I asked my ped and it's not routine here either. Our house was built in 1978, which is the last year you're supposed to worry about. She isn't worried at all and doesn't think we need to test him. She said houses in the 30's to 50's are the biggest concern.
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@lizzywiz: in my state, you have to get tested at 1 year and again at 2 years I believe if you live in certain zip codes. We do and our house was built in the 70's I am now freaking out!!
I hope everything will be okay! 
I just thought it may help decrease his levels for the retest.
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