High lead levels in toddler

I believe that the landlord is only required to disclose the possible existence of lead in a rental unit. There are forms you should have signed when you signed the lease. If the landlord failed to provide these forms, then I suppose they could be held responsible. Check with a real estate attorney. An old Victorian will have lead paint. It may have been painted over, and some mitigation may have occurred, but any structure older than 1978 has lead paint. I was on the landlord side of this a few years ago. I had disclosed to the tenants (who had an infant) the possible existence of lead in my 1940 rental house, as required by law. They decided to pay for lead testing, which determined unacceptable levels of lead to them. I told them that I would never be able to completely eliminate lead from the house (too costly), and that they would be better served it they found a newer rental, which they did. 

Jon Clissold, CSST
Jon [at] solenvironmental.com (Jon[at]solenvironmental[dot]com)
Cell: (925)378-9660 
 

we used him back in 2021. It was $200 and very quick. Good luck! 

Forgot to mention that we didn’t go through our landlord. It would’ve been too much of a hassle so it was worth it to us to pay ourselves and have control over it. 

I’m so sorry that you are going through this. I can’t imagine how scary this must feel.

A few things:

Your water company can give you a free lead test once a year. While the water itself in the Bay Area is very clean, many houses have old piping and fixtures that can leech lead into the water. Schools are constantly testing positive for lead in the water due to old piping. 
 

Check the recall lists for food and toys that have been recalled for lead. Most recently some cinnamon apple squeeze pouches have been recalled for lead. 
 

I wish I knew more about your legal rights with the landlord in this situation. I would search for a tenants rights organization and contact them. Was there any recent remodeling? Also old bath tubs if the surface is scratched may contain lead. 

Food and toys from other countries do not have to follow our lead laws. 

I really hope you are able to find the source and someone to advise you on your rights. 

Dear first-time mom with a beloved year-old:  You note you're living in an " old Victorian" home.   Here's something I've learned: Oakland or any ethical town/city can deliver good water to your home. BUT if the water pipes leading from the street into your home are Victorian too, i.e.. lead based, then these old pipes MAY be the source of the threat to your young child.  (While the doctor suggested the lead count wasn't that bad, IF it's the pipes, then won't your child's lead count increase as he ages?  --- Please request a lead sample voucher by calling Customer Service at 1-866-403-2683 or email customerservice [at] ebmud.com (customerservice[at]ebmud[dot]com) ,,, NOTE: I just got off the phone with "Lee" in Customer Service and she feels you definitely should check your water... and yes, a voucher for a free test of lead is available. She would've sent it out to you-- if I could've given her your address.  It seems to get to Lee quickly, or anyone in the customer service dept, you'll dial the main # then she said click on 1 and then 2.   Good Luck.  

You've probably researched already yourself, but here are a few resources:

State:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/CLPPB/Pages/CLPPBhome.aspx

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/CLPPB/Pages/LRCRegs.aspx

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/CLPPB/Pages/find_lead_pro…

County:

https://www.achhd.org/

https://acphd.org/lead-poison-prevention/
https://www.achhd.org/leadpoisoning/leadp.htm

Oakland (required permits for lead abatement work):

https://www.oaklandca.gov/services/leadabatement

Also wanted to be sure you were aware of the applesauce pouch recall for exceedingly high lead levels (specific brands of cinnamon applesauce):

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/wan…

PS:  Apart from getting the free EBMUD voucher for testing lead in your water, as I suggested earlier, if there's lead, you'll want to make certain the water your child & everyone in the family-- including pets== are drinking is lead-free-- Also use good water in your cooking too. ----- Research indicates it's ok to bathe in lead-water, to give it to plants, just don't take it internally.  -- To get around the lead -water, we use a "Springwell" Reverse Osmosis (RO) system (smallish) that sits on our kitchen counter. There are RO systems that can go under the sink (& larger ones that go outside the home). As a renter you'll want a portable system. BTW: Brita makes a RO filter which is purported to get rid of 99% of lead.  And of course you can buy RO water from a local water store.  All the best.

Hi I know this must be so incredibly difficult. I worked in Childhood Lead Poisoning prevention and it is a big problem here in California with aging housing. One thing is your landlord is required when you sign the rental agreement to also provide you with lead poisoning information and to notify you that the building may contain lead. If they did that they are not responsible. If they did not provide that they may be able to be held liable. It sounds like you are doing everything to correct the situation. Another source could be the soil outside your home especially if you are gardening. Making sure there is ground covering to prevent dust, not growing vegetables in lead heavy soils, etc should help. There is the State Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program that can assist with more information and support. I would also look at chelation that can help remove lead from your child’s body. Rather than chemical chelation there are  foods and supplements that can bind with lead and help remove it from the body. If the levels are above a certain amount chemical chelation is recommended. As you probably know there is actually no safe level of lead for children. The sooner you remove the lead from your child’s body the better off they will be. I hope you get the help you need. 

I'm sorry you are dealing with this. We were in a similar stressful situation with our toddler while renting a unit in an old Victorian in Berkeley. YES, you will want to get an inspection done to know where lead levels are high and what areas of your property your child should keep away from. No playing with keys, be careful of painted toys (especially from china), no playing with cables for electronics... a lot of things have lead if you start looking into it.

I lost the contact of the person we hired, but our inspection was probably about 300, a fee to come out and then a fee per location you want tested. You can be pretty sure that that some layers of the paint in your rental are leaded, but if the very top layers are not disturbed and are unleaded, it might not be much concern. If there is grass near the property, avoid letting your child play in the grass, because paint chips falling off the building land on the dirt. You can ask your landlord to pay for the inspection, but he has no obligation to do anything regarding lead, ZERO. Assuming you were given the lead-based paint disclosure pamphlet when you moved in, that's all he has to do. 

In our situation, our landlord had hired workers to scrape exterior paint off before repainting, and they wore no respirators, had no hepa vacuums, no protection at all for us or the property and barely even swept up the lead chips that fell at the end of the day. I called the city of Berkeley and contacted the county of Alameda, took photos, and both entities were utterly worthless and could do nothing to compel the owner to do things safely. We consulted a housing rights attorney and told him about the our lead situation and he looked into it as well, nothing in the code books regarding lead. It's just the way it is. We ended up moving to get away from the lead. 

Hi there, 

I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I can relate. We went through this with our son when he was 3 years old (he’s now 15!), and the problem stemmed from a porch renovation.The porch tested negative for lead paint before it was sanded, but one of the base coats of paint (the original/oldest coat) actually did contain lead and the sanding process created a dust that was tracked into the house and onto my son’s piano. He was a thumb-sucker, so his blood lead level rose to 9. Interestingly, his younger brother was crawling at the time and did not have a rise in lead levels even though the dust contaminated the floors - I think it’s because he wasn’t a thumb-sucker. In any case, we fed our son a LOT of homemade smoothies packed with spinach and green veggies because those supposedly helped remove lead from the bloodstream. At the time, we understood that if lead remains in the blood long enough and reaches the brain, it will remain there and can’t be removed, and could permanently affect learning and behavior. Not sure of new info has come along since then, but the smoothies seemed to work because his lead levels dropped to 2 within a couple of weeks, and further dropped after that.
 

In any case, our pediatrician was obligated to alert the health department, who came to do an official lead inspection and forced us to replace all of our windows - because even if the old lead paint on window frames is sealed with fresh paint, the window frames will rub as the windows open/close and generate a dust that contaminates other areas. They also forced us to repaint some areas of the house (originally built in 1923). We were required to pass a final lead inspection after all of this. So I’m not sure what your toddler’s lead level is, but at a certain level it gets reported and the home owner will need to do a lead abatement. At the very least, buy a home test kit and run the test stick inside the windows, where the sill rubs against the frame.

If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. Good luck!

Anni
 

You should be able to contact the public health department for help with lead exposure. Alameda County Public Health, Berkeley Public Health, Contra Costa Public Health - look up your county‘s public health department (or city if in Berkeley) and they should have suggestions for what to do about your home. Your pediatrician should have advice for how to reduce your child‘s lead levels. So glad it‘s only mildly high, good luck!

I don’t live in Oakland anymore but these are the resources I remember from my days as a tenant and working in both legal aid and construction-related fields. I might reach out to Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program for education and possible support. https://www.achhd.org/leadpoisoning/leadp.htm. And the Oakland Rent Board to find out how to work with / approach your landlord on this. https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/rent-adjustment-program Finally, it would not hurt to consult with a tenants rights attorney in case you do need to negotiate with the landlord on addressing this. Knowing what to expect up front can help. Depending on how responsive your landlord is, you may need support to navigate this serious issue if the house turns out to be the source of the lead. Legal resources including Bay Area Legal Aid and a few others I’m forgetting the names of. BALA is probably a great start. Best of luck!  

I would test your water, as the pipes may be leaking lead and that won’t show in the data provided by the local water district. If you have a filter, test that the filter is doing its job. 
No candies from abroad, and be careful with food from abroad, if consumed in high doses. For example, the bottled pesto from Italy, that I have used for years has a new prop 65 warning of lead in it. There is a small warning, that is so easy to miss. 

There was a story recently about cinnamon applesauce pouches where the cinnamon had been adulterated with lead: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elev…; Did your child eat these?

Hi, I’m anxious about lead levels in our old bungalow and recently dove into this so I want to share what I’ve learned. You can get a FREE home consultation from alameda county healthy homes program where they will walk through your home with you and point out areas of concern, and then suggest remedies and approaches. Ours primarily focused on things others have noted here: replacing old windows, keeping outdoor soil covered (and creating a separate play area such as a sandbox with fresh sand), wet-sanding and sealing some spots on the trim where paint layers are rubbing off, and keeping the house vacuumed and wet-mopped to remove dust. They also recommended an inexpensive kit that you can swipe on windows/doors/ areas of concern and see if there’s lead dust, and then try again after cleaning. This might help you identify sources and therefore areas to avoid having your child play or access. Here is the form to fill out to request this, they got back to me in less than a week, and sent a written summary by email after: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIt-kkK5p6FNnN_b4CJ-yK98nLX2E…

There are also grants available for renters and property owners to do remediation and repair. These are income qualified but perhaps worth checking out:

https://www.achhd.org/programs/housing-rehab/index.htm

wishing you all the best on this