I just recently found out that my sons lead levels are extremly high?

his dr told me that he is at 8. 10 is lead poisioned. im very worried i read up about lead poision and i noticed my son has alot of the same problems he has speech delay hes hyper active and ive also noticed i have had problems also iam goin in to get tested for lead friday lead posioning can also cause miscarriage i was pregnant in january lost the baby.. now my question is my landlord claims the paint isnt lead based and i read somewhere that there can be lead dust in the air or on everything in your house so even touching somthing with lead dust on it can make ur levels high.. i have a lease and i want to move before it effects my son in dangerous ways is this a legitimit reason to break my lease? im not sure of how the laws work but i just want out of this dangerous house im scared for my son and myself.. he is already at 8 and he is only 2. my lease doesnt end until oct i dont think i can wait until then my son could be deathly sick by then.. can i break my lease?
Additional Details
he doesnt go to a sitters he doesnt go to daycare both my parents are dead his dad lives in another state with his family so he doesnt go visit them he goes no where else and i use paper plates and cups and plastic silverwear and i just bought all new cookwear and the toys he has doesnt have lead in them i tested that already so it isnt the toys and if it is the water then duh i cant live here and keep killing my child with the contaiminated water!!!!! so where the hell would it come from but from this house???????

purplesmiles19

If you believe that your house has lead paint or lead in it somewhere, try getting in touch with the health department and telling them your concerns, they should be able to get someone to come out and test the house so that you will know for sure where it is coming from...you can get your son's pediatrician to sign something saying that your son has a high level of lead in his body...once you can prove that there is lead in the house then you should be able to break the lease without any consequences...just be sure to keep all paperwork saying that it is a dangerous place to live in case the landlord decides to sue you for the broken lease and then you have proof that you had to move due to the danger

Max Hoopla

Can you prove where your son's lead came from? You need that first.

jellybeanchick

There are at home lead testing kits you can buy. Before you do anything rash like breaking a lease, I think you should get one of those kits to see for sure whether there is lead paint or lead dust in your apartment.

Keep in mind that a lot of imported items from China and elsewhere have lead-based paint. While toys with known lead paint get recalled, some toys are never discovered to have lead paint, or you could have some of those recalled toys. Also, painted ceramic items like coffee mugs may not get recalled even if they are known to have lead paint. In my state, CA, lead paint items can be sold with a warning label, but most states do not have those warning labels.

Common

You don't know where the lead is coming from, so you can't break the lease. It might be the water. It might be your plates. It could be something he's picking up at a sitter's house. Et cetera.

Before you even THINK about trying to break your lease, you need to find out where the lead in his system is coming from. Hire someone to come test your house.

Mutt

Before you start talking about breaking your lease, make sure that the apartment is the reason for the high lead count. Get it tested. It could be any number of other places your son visits frequently: The day care, the playground, relatives, etc. The apartment would be the first place I look, but don't rule out other places yet. In the mean time, if possible, get him out of there and someplace that you are sure is safe. Maybe your parents if they live close by?

After you have documented proof that the apartment is the cause, then talk to your landlord about either getting the place cleaned up or getting out of your lease with no penalty.

mz. v

Have the doctor report it to the local health dept. which in our state any child with elevated blood lead levels get reported, and they would probably come out and test the home. Housekeeping is a large part of preventing lead poisoning. Keeping windows, doors, carpet and any friction areas clean and washed to reduce dust. But also, children can get in the habit of chewing on hard surfaces like furniture, window ledges, and even eating paint chips. Keep an eye out for that cuz even if you move he will continue doing that. Also, you didnt mention where you work, but you could be bringing it home on your clothes. Im in construction and had to go thru lead safety classes. My clothes go right in the wash and I dont touch my child till I have showered and changed clothes.

Bobbi

Is your son reaching any medical treatment for the lead? If you qualify for WIC, they can help. Also check into the Lead Prevention department at your local/county health department. Many will offer treatment for your son, plus they will inspect the residence for lead. If the residence has lead, many health departments offer to eliminate the problem free. You need ALOT more info from the medical community, especially about the baby you lost ;(
*** These are place I have seen lead in homes: (1) new windows? the old may have been lead paint, and there is lead dust still around the sills. (2) Gardens around the house. The home may have been scraped, and the lead paint chips are in the soil. Food crops soak up the lead. (3) Lead dust from painting a non-lead paint top-coat over lead paint. (4) Exhaust fumes from a leaky exhaust in a car. (5) Lead water pipes, or lead solder holding plumbing together. (6) dishware (7) babysitter, day care, grandparents house (8) toys
*** This is a short list. Since you lost your baby, I think I would first look into having your water tested first. Yes, this cause problems with hyper behavior and speech delays. This can take a couple of years to get better.. But no promises. You may qualify for Head Start services, a half day preschool, since he has a speech delay and hyper due to lead poisoning. Now if the lead is in the house, you can get out. Best wishes to you and your child, and too your health.

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