Category Archive

Recently our public broadcasting station OPB had a show where Jacques Cousteau and his team went to the outer islands of Hawaii that tourists and most people never get to see. On Midway, they found dead bird after dead bird. After examining them they determined they all had died from eating the garbage left behind from the war that was contaminated with high levels of lead.

In the paper I read doctors are now testing Baby Boomers because we all grew up surrounded by lots of lead. Researchers are now wondering if there is a connection between lead and Alzheimers or any of the other diseases inflicted upon us as we age. Lead was mostly used in the U.S. prior to 1978. We’ve all heard the recent news reports on the dangers of lead in toys. However, lead can also be found in paint, soil, drinking water, pipes, building materials, in our homes, and pottery to name a few.

Our local news had a story about two young boys who suffered possible brain damage due to the home they were living in. This older home was being repainted and the painter used a blow-torch to remove the “lead-based paint” off the home. This then created dust with extreme concentrates of lead that the kids inhaled.

Realtors® in Oregon have a Lead-Based Paint Disclosure pamphlet “Protecting Your Family From Lead in Your Home” that we are required to hand out to home buyers when they write an offer on a house constructed prior to 1978. CLICK HERE for a link to that 16 page-pamphlet. There is also a lead-based paint contingency period for the buyer to have a lead-based paint inspection and request any information the seller has in regards to lead- based paint in the form of a Disclosure Addendum.

Lead poisoning is a serious matter.  After seeing all those dead birds and hearing about those two young boys, only now have I realized how dangerous lead really is to humans. Lead in your bloodstream can lead to high blood pressure, digestive and reproductive problems, kidney damage, nerve disorders and more.

Here are 6 tips to protect yourself and your family from lead poisoning:

1. Have your blood tested to determine your lead level.
2. Use only fresh, cold water for drinking and cooking. Run the water from the cold water tap until the water feels noticeably cold. This flushes standing water out of pipes, replacing it with fresh water.
3. Wash hands frequently.
4. Have children play on grass instead of bare dirt. Take shoes off when entering the house to avoid tracking in soil that may contain lead.
5. Meals high in iron, Vitamin C and calcium keep you from absorbing lead.
6. Get your tap water tested for lead.

CLICK HERE for a Lead & Safe Guide or www.oregon.gov for more information. You can also go to www.epa.gov/lead or call the INFO line at 800-424-LEAD.

(For more local and national real estate news, click on my monthly newsletter - JUNG’S JOURNAL - on my website www.bettyjung.com).