Health officials target lead paint

As concern grows over lead-based paint in children's toys, local health officials are offering free inspections for homeowners who might have similar paint on their walls.

The Southern Nevada Health District has contracted University of Nevada, Las Vegas scientists to tour Southern Nevada homes built before 1978.

An estimated 170,000 homes in Las Vegas were built before that year, when lead-based paint was banned in the United States, according to UNLV and Dr. Keith Zupnik, project coordinator for the health district's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.

The program is just the latest by local officials to protect children from lead, a toxic substance.

A study of lead in Mexican candy by the UNLV School of Public Health led to the candy being banned from store shelves.

Most recently, the discovery of lead paint in thousands of toys from China led to recalls and increased safety standards.

As a country, "We've got a history of bad decisions with lead," UNLV associate professor Shawn Gerstenberger said.

"We put it in gasoline and decided that wasn't a good thing to do. We put it in paint and decided that wasn't a good thing to do. We put it in batteries and decided that wasn't a good thing to do."

"Lead is a very, very useful substance," Zupnik said. "The only problem is, it's toxic to human beings."

Any level of lead in the bloodstream is believed to be harmful, according to Zupnik.

At worst, high levels of exposure to the toxic substance can lead to seizures and death. But low levels in children cause headaches and stomach pain and can reduce IQ levels over time.

Before 1978, lead-based paint was widely used to paint walls. The lead makes the paint shinier, more durable and more resistant to mold than paint without lead.

"It might kill you, but it's a better paint," Zupnik said.

Some of the paints are more dangerous than others. One type of lead-based paint tastes sweet, giving children an incentive to eat its paint chips, according to Gerstenberger.

Homes that have extra coats of paint are still not safe if the home develops chips or gashes in its walls. Dust from the paint can be ingested by children.

The free inspections involve UNLV researchers using a hand-held device they place against the wall that can immediately tell whether it has lead-based paint.

If the home has lead-based paint, health district officials will help homeowners come up with a plan to get rid of it or cover it up. Zupnik said the district was looking at ways to help pay for new paint.

People whose homes were built before 1978 are encouraged to call the health district at 759-1283 to schedule an inspection. The service runs through June.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0440.