I just found out my child is poisoned, what should I do?

Published: December 15, 2019
Updated: May 1, 2024

Hello all! I created this post to be a summary (a directory of a kind) to answer this question for those starting from the “Start Here” page. Below are links to some of my more important articles about first steps (or first things you want to read) once you find out your child has been Lead poisoned. Click here to go back to the “Start Here” post. As with everything we share about, we are trying to give Lead Safe Mama community members a starting point to do their own research and better know what questions to ask and what points to consider when making decisions for their family.

Please let me know if you think we are missing anything from the list below.

Background education on the issue of childhood Lead poisoning:

1. The best way to learn about your situation (fast!) would be to watch our documentary film. It’s a crash course/overview of childhood Lead poisoning.
2. Knowing what symptoms you might expect down the line is very helpful: Symptoms in Children
3. Most doctors are not concerned about low level exposure (and they should be!), so this is a great article to read and share with your doctor: Symptoms of low-level Lead exposure
4. It is important to understand how little Lead it takes to poison a child, here’s a good article to help give context to that.
5. You might get push back from family and friends. They often say things like “well we turned out just fine”… and this is a good article to help you respond to those sorts of comments.
6. Here’s an article discussing next steps once you have located the Lead hazards in your home: “I found Lead paint in my home. Now what?”

Types of Testing

1. You should get everyone in the home tested if one person tests positive. Here’s an article about what to expect – and what questions to ask – with blood Lead testing.
2. Here’s a “what’s next” in terms of what to do with your home.
3. This article discusses the different types of testing you might use (including the type of testing I report on on this website.)
4. This article discusses dust-wipe sampling, probably the most important testing you can do if your child has been poisoned.
5. This article discusses testing water (also important to do if you have not yet done that).
6. This article discusses testing soil.
7. While you can do some of this testing yourself (see point #3 above in this section), you may want to get your home inspected by a professional, here’s a article about that.
8. You may also want to get your consumer goods inspected (especially if you live in a new construction home). Normal home inspectors / Lead-hazard inspectors do not have the tools to test consumer goods for toxicants: here’s an article about that.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.  I will do my best to respond personally as soon as I can!

Tamara Rubin
Owner – Lead Safe Mama, LLC
Mother of Lead Poisoned Children
#LeadSafeMama