Lead Terms
Glossary of Terms
- Abatement
- Any activity that gets rid of lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards. The four types of abatement methods are removal, enclosure, encapsulation, and replacement.
- Anticipatory guidance
- Information that is given to a parent or guardian to help reduce a child's risk of exposure to lead and to prevent childhood lead poisoning. A health care professional usually provides this information.
- Blood lead level (BLL)
- A measurement of how much lead is in the blood.
- Capillary blood test
- A test for which blood is obtained by pricking the skin of the finger, heel, or other areas (capillary blood). A drop (or a few drops) of blood is put on a test strip or into a small container.
- Chelation therapy
- The drug treatment given to someone that has very high lead levels.
- Home investigation (environmental investigation)
- An investigation done by certified people who try to locate sources of lead in the home, buildings, or other structures. Sometimes dust and paint chip samples are gathered and sent to a lab for testing. When the results come back, the homeowner is given a detailed report of the findings and recommendations on ways to get rid of lead hazards.
- Lead Inspector
- A person who has completed training from an EPA approved program and has been licensed or certified by the proper local, tribal, state or Federal agency to perform a lead-based inspection.
- Lead Inspection
- An on-site investigation to detect if lead-based paint is present in a home and where it's found. This investigation does not provide information on whether it's a hazard or how to take care of it.
- Lead-based paint
- Any paint, varnish, shellac, or other coating that contains lead equal to or greater to 1.0 milligram per square centimeter or 0.5 percent lead by weight.
- Lead hazard
- Unsafe conditions that cause lead exposure at levels that could be harmful to a person.
- Lead hazard control
- Activities to control and get rid of lead hazards. They include short-term controls and abatement.
- Lead risk assessment
- An on-site investigation to detect if lead hazards are present and how they can be controlled.
- Lead risk assessor
- A person who has completed training with an accredited training program and has been certified by the proper local, tribal, state, and Federal agency to perform a risk assessment.
- Pica
- The compulsive eating of nonnutritive items such as dirt or flaking paint.
- Title X (Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992)
- This law directs Federal agencies to create regulations to strengthen and redirect national lead poisoning prevention efforts.
- ug/dL
- Micrograms per deciliter; the measurement used to express how much lead is in someone's blood.
- Venous blood test
- A test for which blood is drawn from a vein, usually in the arm. This is the ONLY way to know for sure if a child has lead poisoning.
- XRF machine
- A devise used to detect sources of lead in the home. The machine uses X-ray technology and must be used with care by a certified professional to prevent exposure to harmful radiation.