Today I had a visit from the Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program who offer a free lead consultation for owners of pre-1978 homes. Mine's 1939 so mostly certainly has lead in it, and not being one to turn down free education that could help keep me healthy...
Lead is a pollutant and poison, and especially bad for children as their organs are still developing and less able to flush it out as adults. There's now no safe minimum for lead so controlling it as much as possible is the goal. In 1978, lead in paint was banned for residential use). As paint ages it peels and the lead dust can enter the atmosphere. My county, Alameda, offers free inspections to help homeowners contain lead.
The visit was about an hour long and consisted of a visual inspection of any painted surface. My inspector, Gabrielle, was looking for signs of age, and peeling. Fortunately, having a remodel, my house is in good shape. But knowing which areas were higher risk (older) was useful to know in case of future work.
Here are my quick notes: