Update on elevated blood lead...

[momma_boo]

3 months ago, I posted b/c Sarah had tested positive for lead exposure. (link to that post: http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=51510&mesg_id=51510&page=&topic_page=1).
Well, they just did a retest at her 12 mos check-up. GREAT NEWS!!!
She's down to a 3 (0-9 is considered "normal"). She had been at 10.

It's just a relief. I've been so nervous since they took her blood last week and got so scared when I had a message from the ped.

We never did go crazy with testing or abatement. We took some measures to try to minimize the dust that she was exposed to on the floor. I'll list them out in case it's helpful for others:
1. No more shoes in the house - we live in a very high-traffic area (for suburban NJ) and have no doubt that the outside soil is contaminated.
2. No dry dusting - only using wet dustcloths.
3. Using a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
4. Washing her hands more frequently.

We're so relieved. So many of you responded to my original post, so I had to share.

[C99]

Esther,

That's fantastic! We had Nate tested at 12-months and he came back a 3 also, and we know there is lead paint in our house. We had work done to our house and now I'm scared to have him re-tested!

[momma_boo]

Caroline,

Did you have work done in the house due to the lead? I'm just wondering if you did normal renovations or if you went through an abatement for the lead. Although we're in the clear, I'm curious what abatement entails.

[COElizabeth]

That's great!!!!

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

[JElaineB]

Excellent news! Glad it was taken care of relatively easily! Yea!

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[C99]

We went through the abatement process. We had two different things done. We had lead paint in our front hall, stairwell and upstairs hall, and also in all 3 upstairs bedrooms and closets. The walls in the halls/stairwell were in bad condition, so we had them ripped out by a lead abatement company (they sealed the area, used a negative air machine, disposed of all the materials, and wet-ragged everything). The walls in the bedrooms/closets were in good condition, so we had a painter seal them with lead-encapsulating paint (he used a product called Lead Block) and then paint over them. The same painter also replaced the walls that the abatement company had ripped out w/ drywall.