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Lead Gets into the Body in Many Ways <br />Adults and children can get lead into their bodies if they: <br />• Breathe in lead dust (especially during activities such as renovations, <br />repairs, or painting that disturb painted surfaces). <br />• Swallow lead dust that has settled on food, food preparation surfaces, <br />and other places. <br />• Eat paint chips or soil that contains lead. <br />Lead is especially dangerous to children under the age of 6. <br />• At this age, children’s brains <br />and nervous systems are <br />more sensitive to the <br />damaging effects of lead. <br />• Children’s growing bodies <br />absorb more lead. <br />• Babies and young children <br />often put their hands <br />and other objects in their <br />mouths. These objects can <br />have lead dust on them. <br />Women of childbearing age should know that lead is dangerous to <br />a developing fetus. <br />• Women with a high lead level in their system before or during <br />pregnancy risk exposing the fetus to lead through the placenta <br />during fetal development. <br />2