-
Welcome to American Lead Free Kids Association
More Details
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have determined that no safe level of lead in children's blood exists. Although the current limit is set at below 5 µg/dL, the reality is that lead is ubiquitous, and lead pollution is an everyday occurrence. Even if there is no lead-based paint in a child's home or daycare, it can be tracked in on shoes from the outside.
While we cannot control lead pollution, we can manage the cleaning of lead dust to ensure that our children are protected. We work closely with daycare facilities to ensure that the areas where our children spend the most time are thoroughly cleaned and carefully monitored. By taking these steps, we can significantly reduce the risk of childhood lead exposure and ensure that our children grow up healthy and strong.
- Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE): Before washing lead dust, put on gloves, goggles, and a respirator mask to protect yourself from inhaling or ingesting the lead dust.
- Wet washing: Use a wet cloth or sponge to wipe the surfaces and areas where lead dust is present. Be sure to use clean water and avoid using hot water as this can create lead vapor.
- Rinse and repeat: Rinse the cloth or sponge frequently in clean water to avoid spreading the lead dust around. Continue to wet wash the surfaces until you have removed all the visible dust.
Two Bucket System for Floors:
Place the mop in the detergent bucket. Squeeze out the excess water into the empty bucket and begin mopping the floor. Squeezing the dirty mop water into the second bucket will help keep you from recontaminating the clean water in the first bucket.)
- Dispose of cleaning materials properly: Once you have finished washing, dispose of the used cleaning materials, such as rags, sponges, and water, in a sealed plastic bag. Label the bag as hazardous waste and dispose of it according to your local regulations.
- Clean up and wash hands: Clean up any remaining water and dispose of it properly. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to remove any lead dust that may have come into contact with your skin.
It's important to note that washing alone may not be enough to completely remove all the lead dust. It's recommended to use a HEPA vacuum cleaner for a more thorough cleaning. If you suspect that your home has a significant amount of lead dust, it's best to contact a professional for proper removal and cleaning.
American Lead Free Kids Association also recommends using Lead Dust Cleaning products such as Fiberlock LeadSafe Cleaner to help with Lead Dust cleaning.
(LeadSafe Cleaner by Fiberlock Technologies quickly and effectively removes harmful lead dust after renovation, repair, painting or abatement projects. Designed with a combination of citric acid and chelating agents, LeadSafe actively lifts heavy lead molecules and other surface contaminants rather than spreading them around like traditional cleaning agents. Apply on any surface where dust from lead-based paint is present, including fences, doors, stairs, trim, ceilings, sills, moldings, floors, gates, baseboards and more. Follow all application instructions on label.)
Disclaimer: Fiberlock LeadSafe Cleaner does not sponsor or pay for any promotion of their product. We currently recommend this from many others because of the good reviews it received for helping many pass lead inspections.
EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree that there is no known safe level of lead in a child's blood. Taking action to reduce these exposures can improve outcomes. Lead is harmful to health, especially for children.
Children
Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in:
- Behavior and learning problems
- Lower IQ and hyperactivity
- Slowed growth
- Hearing problems
- Anemia
In rare cases, ingestion of lead can cause seizures, coma and even death.
Pregnant Women
Lead can accumulate in our bodies over time, where it is stored in bones along with calcium. During pregnancy, lead is released from bones as maternal calcium and is used to help form the bones of the fetus. This is particularly true if a woman does not have enough dietary calcium. Lead can also cross the placental barrier exposing the fetus to lead. This can result in serious effects to the mother and her developing fetus, including:
- Reduced growth of the fetus
- Premature birth
Schools:
Zero Stars:
This child occupied facility failed its lead test, either dust wipes, visual, XRF, or received results of extremely high leave levels outside its facility and had no inside tests done to show lead is not being brough into child’s occupied space through foot traffic. Please see attached report from ALFKA for more information.
One Star:
This child occupied facility doesn’t have any record of lead testing or inspections, nor was it tested and failed. It is however on the list of future inspections by ALFKA and a report will be posted on their profile.
Two Stars:
This child occupied facility doesn’t have any record of lead testing or inspections. It is on the waiting list to be tested by ALFKA. Two stars are given because it's license is posted which means it passed lead water testing. The recommendation is to use proper lead cleaning techniques and materials and to have proper lead dust testing done to determine lead levels in kid’s space. Provided their license #
Three Start:
This child occupied facility provided its lead safe records.
Four Stars:
This child occupied facility had a visual inspection done for peeling paint and lead dust wipes performed which determined that there is NO peeling paint and NO lead dust in the kid’s space. It also reports its cleaning procedures monthly.
Five Stars:
This child occupied facility went above and beyond to fully inspect its facility:
- XRF inspection was done in the past 2 years to determine there was NO lead paint in the facility.
- Visual inspection performed for peeling paint and passed.
- Lead Dust samples were taken, and results showed that NO lead is being brought from outside with shoes.
- Daily/weekly/monthly lead cleaning is being performed to catch and rid lead from the child occupied facility.
The purpose of ALFKA is to deliver comprehensive educational programs to daycare facilities regarding the testing, cleaning, and monitoring of lead dust that can be tracked indoors through foot traffic from parents, daycare providers, and the children themselves. Our primary focus is to educate daycares about the detrimental impact of lead dust on the development of young children. We provide in-depth guidance on proper testing and cleaning procedures for lead dust, offering assistance with the procurement of lead dust wipes for testing and cleaning purposes.
Our overarching goal is to offer free lead dust testing and cleaning materials to daycares in need, empowering them to integrate these practices into their regular routines and allocate resources within their own budgets. Additionally, we facilitate educational visits from our volunteer EPA Lead Licensed inspectors and Lead Risk Assessors, enabling daycares to benefit from their expertise. Our goal is to also offer free XRF inspection on all painted walls, windows and painted components to make sure all paint is lead free.
By implementing these initiatives, we aspire to ensure that no child is exposed to lead contamination originating from external sources, such as foot traffic, which subsequently accumulates in dust and may be ingested by children through hand-to-mouth contact.
Contact us for free lead dust information and for free lead inspection and cleaning at your daycare!
alfka.org@gmail.com
Below are few NEWS worth items we would love to share.
8/02/2023
Great News!
On August 1, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposal to revise the dust-lead hazard standards (DLHS) from 10 micrograms per square foot (µg/ft2) and 100 µg/ft2 for floors and window sills to any reportable level as analyzed by a laboratory recognized by EPA’s National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP), and to lower the dust-lead clearance levels (DLCL) from 10 µg/ft2, 100 µg/ft2 and 400 µg/ft2 for floors, window sills, and window troughs to 3 µg/ft2, 20 µg/ft2, and 25 µg/ft2, respectively.
We at ALFKA have been pointing out that ANY level of Lead is dangerous, so this step is getting us closer to having zero level of lead as standard!
7/07/2023
By availing our complimentary XRF testing services, daycares can rest assured that they won't be taken aback by the hefty $1,500 inspection fee, as we are committed to conducting these tests at absolutely no cost! Our unwavering focus is to ensure the safety of our children by keeping them lead-free and safeguarded against lead paint hazards. Additionally, we go the extra mile by offering free air and visual monitoring for mold spores. If you require any of these essential services please email us to be included in our inspection list, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@alfka.org.
7/07/2023
Numerous daycares have been informed about lead dust and received a cordial welcome letter. Currently, we are diligently developing a comprehensive cleaning procedure that simplifies and makes dust and lead dust cleaning both accessible and cost-effective. The primary challenge thus far has been the prohibitively high costs and excessive complexity, which discouraged many from undertaking this crucial task. If you are interested in obtaining this valuable information, kindly reach out to us via email at info@alfka.org. Rest assured, we will promptly send this information to all registered daycares that have provided their addresses and/or emails.
7/05/2023
Over 380 daycares already registered! Taking into account the advice of our experienced board members and advisors, we have decided to ensure that all our legal paperwork is in order before proceeding with the procurement of cleaning materials and lead dust wipes, which will be distributed to daycares. Additionally, we are actively pursuing our 501c3 status in order to receive assistance with grants and accept tax-deductible donations, which are eagerly awaited.
Once we have completed all necessary preparations, we will deploy our dedicated volunteers to provide comprehensive education on the proper usage of lead dust wipes and guidance on how to submit samples for testing, either to us or to laboratories.
In the meantime, we remain committed to providing educational resources to daycares and parents about the dangers of lead and lead dust, as well as instructions on how to test, clean, and monitor for its presence in environments where children are present.
6/28/2023
ALFKA.org now has over 330 registered daycares! Goal is still the same, to have every daycare registered and upload their cleaning procedures for parents to vew before their kids attend. We are here to help!
6/26/2023
We have submitted for 501c3 status which will allow us to recieve grants and donations which will go a long way in helping more daycares recieve free lead dust wipe testing and cleaning! Currently in the waiting period for approval.
5/11/2023
First of many welcome and lead cleaning emails have gone out. Daycares were asked to contact us to take over their accounts so they can update their daycare information.
5/8/2023
ALFKA.org has just passed 200 registered daycares! We are super excited and can’t wait to provide more support to educate, train and assist in lead testing, cleaning, and monitoring!
5/6/2023
ALFKA is super excited to have an Alex Meltsin join our board of directors! Mr. Meltsin has over 8 years’ experience in environmental consulting, project management and is a lead investigator and rist assessor! Mr. Meltsin will bring a world of knowledge to our team and help us in our mission.
Board Member: Karina Chinchilla Solano (non paid Volunteer)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-chinchilla-solano-4b7037283/
With over 9 years in pharmaceutical industry and childcare work experience, Karina is our leader who manages all day to day operations while working with daycares to keep them informed on all events and appointment scheduling.
Duties:
- Build and manage relationship with daycares
- Point of contact for all daycares (Email: alfka.org@gmail.com)
- Oversee all compliance with ALFKA rules along with City and State
- Oversee funding for all ALFKA programs
- Manage ALFKA social media accounts
- Vote on growth and improvement propositions
Board Member: Alex Meltsin (non paid Volunteer)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-meltsin/
With over 10 years of environmental safety experience, Mr. Meltsin will bring a world of experience in lead, mold and asbestos safety. Mr. Meltsin main duty as a board member will be to make sure all funds are managed properly, and all field inspections are done on budget and with best and most accurate results. This will be done by providing training as needed for all new volunteers. Mr. Meltis will also vote on all growth propositions.
Duties:
- Treasurer
- Field Inspection advisor
- Vote on growth and improvement propositions
Board Member: Andrey Sverzhanovskiy (non paid Volunteer)
Mr. Sverzhanovskiy will lead in any air monitoring or project monitoring that will need to be conducted. Mr. Sverzhanovskiy works with both private environmental companies and with NYC MTA, conducting lead air monitoring and asbestos inspections.
Duties:
- Lead air sampling specialist
- MTA lead and asbestos inspection compliance specialist
- Vote on growth and improvement propositions
Volunteer EPA Certified Lead Investigator: Gennadiy Khotinskiy
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gennadiy-khotinskiy-836a0931/
Duties:
- Point of contact for all people and organizations that are not daycares on any ALFKA operational questions (Email: alfka.org@gmail.com)
- Conduct free lead dust sampling in daycares
- Conduct free educational lessons for daycares
- Social media support