Click on products below  for specific information on lead-contaminated items.

Lead is a naturally occurring element that is highly toxic to living systems even at very low levels. Humans can be exposed to lead in many ways including the air and dust, water, soil and products containing lead.

Many items in your home and office could be contaminated with lead. Your coffee maker may have brass parts that leach lead into your morning coffee; when you handle a PVC-coated telephone cord, lead rubs off on your hands and is ingested when you touch the food you are eating; and your baby can be exposed to dangerously high levels of lead by eating one flake of lead paint.

Your best protection is to be informed. The common household, construction and recreation products pictured at left all contain lead and should be used with caution if at all. Always keep leaded products away from children and whenever possible, purchase lead-free alternatives. If you think something in your home, garden or workplace may contain lead, we recommend testing it with a home lead test kit, which can be purchased at any local hardware store.

For more detailed information on lead and how to avoid exposure, click here for our Lead Fact Sheet.