LEAD found in coop and we've been eating the eggs !Freaking out !

[Engteacher]

Rather than scrape the windows, use the stripper that actually encapsulates the paint. That way flakes don't end up on the ground where the chucks would be sure to find them doubly tempting. You can do a quick search or ask at the home store for the products that will do this. Be sure to read instructions carefully.

All will be well.

 

[TipsyDog]

I wouldn't worry about those eggs - enjoy them. Your kids will probably test for lead, almost everyone does - it's a matter of how high. If your dishes are leaded glaze, then that's worse than the chicken eggs. Lead poisoning will produce stomach ache symptoms. I've had them. I'm fine - also grew up when everything was leaded, even the gasoline. I wish they still made lead paint because you'd only have to paint your house every 30 years instead of this water based crap they sell now! Good luck!

P.S. - Your pediatrician will try to scare the wits out of you if they test alittle high. That happened to my sister and next thing you know some state agency was at her house with swabs going through everything. She finally kicked them out. It was pretty ridiculous and such an over reaction. I guess they have to make people nuts to keep those jobs. Her kids tested just under the upper scale and she does have a 100 year old house so who knows. Could have been in all those toys from China too....

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I love your coop by the way!

Just to put things in perspective: IMO, If we were to avoid everything that is bad for us, we would have to live in a bubble with extremely filtered air and wouldn't be able to eat anything, or touch anybody.

Just look at all the people who have lived through the "lead paint era". Not to mention, no seat belts, no helmets, no hand sanitizer, etc.

Just have your kids checked out for your peace of mind. If I were worried about the paint, I'd strip it and re-paint. If it is flaking off, you would have to do it anyway to prevent the wood from rotting.

Jean

 

[95yj]

I can't imagine that the chickens were eating enormous amounts of the lead, much of that was most likely either aborbed into their body mass or passed from their system, that leaves a very small amount entering the egg [if any will be transmitted into the egg] the eggs cannot constitute a huge portion of your diet, and you were only eating them for two weeks, thats a very small amount of lead. I'm not a doctor and have no experience with heavy metals but i'm gonna say unless your feeling sick, really feeling sick, not a placebo affect, your fine.
oh and kudos on the coop, its gorgeous and looks really good where it is.

 

[B'villechicken]

I agree with most things posted here. If you live in a house built prior to the 1970's there is lead paint/dust everywhere. I have been a Physician's Assistant for almost 36 years and cannot remember lead toxicity from eggs, chickens etc. Very high risk occupations, excessive paint ingestion by children and exposure to lead fumes while removing paint are the most common cause for TOXIC lead levels. If the windows can be removed, strip them away from the coop with a chemical stripper or a scraper. Do not use sandpaper!! Heat guns are acceptable outside. You don't necessarily have to remove all the old lead paint. You can take off just the loose paint and paint over the whole thing with fresh latex paint. I agree that there is no KNOWN threshold for toxic lead levels but most of us grew up with more than small amounts of lead with no adverse effects. Good luck,
David

 

[edselpdx]

I know this has been discussed on the Portland Chickens listserve but I've deleted the thread from my email.

Lead can be passed on in eggs, and you can have the eggs tested. The chickens, children, and eggs involved were all fine as far as I remember. It was quite the hubbub on the list for a while though, as many (myself included) utilized repurposed/recycled building products in the coops/runs, or live in old houses where the chickens have access to siding painted before 1978 (when lead was outlawed in paint).

Here in Oregon I'd recommend you contact DEQ (Dept of Environmental Quality) as well as the pediatrician (non-emergently). There must be a similar program in NC; your pediatrician's office should know who the resource for the state is in NC. The good news is that the people on the listserve who had eggs test + for lead after contact with lead-based paint chips were able to remediate the problem by encapsulating the lead (painting the windows if the paint is in decent condition) or otherwise removing the lead in the chick's direct environment. I like the idea of putting hardware cloth in the windows to prevent the ladies from getting to it.

Your kids will likely be just fine. Really. Lead is a pretty ubiquitous environmental toxin, and almost everyone has had some exposure. You don't want it, but there's no reason to panic. I don't take the attitude of "I chewed on my lead paint crib and I'm fine", but I do take the position that you do what you can reasonably do to prevent further ingestion.

If your kids have very high lead levels (unlikely unless they're eating the lead paint directly), there are treatments that your pediatrician will recommend/refer. That's a RARE case that requires that level of intervention. If your children require testing, your pediatrician will guide you through the process. I had my toddler tested for lead after a dusty bout of remodeling in our home a decade or so ago. She was fine.

You know you've got lead paint and the chickens accessed it, but you don't know anything else yet. While you're in "let's-figure-this-out" mode, I would err on the side of safety and not have the kids eat the eggs for right now until you're sure that the problem has been addressed. I'd personally pay $200+ to have some eggs tested if I had documented exposure (but not the specific chickens) just for peace of mind. If they're +, you take care of the lead and then restest the eggs in a couple of months to make sure everything's OK. And yes, I'm an RN in my non-chickening time.

BTW, that is one breathtakingly beautiful coop. I see why the windows spoke to you!

 

[team_realtree]

tooth paste tubes were made of lead back in the day.....don't worry.

 

[bigstack]

OH.... I love the coop!!! So neat! I also remember those little bite on fishing line lead pellets. I'd hold those in my mouth for hours while fishing. I always used to volenteer to fill up the tank. Gas used to smell so good! LOL Guess I was an addict at 10 and didn't even know it. My wife bought a stack of dishes at a yard sale for $1. They looked old and all the glaze was cracked. I got a lead test kit and .....Yep! Positive. We returned to the sale because they had more dishes. We wanted to warn them. The owner said she had eaten off those dishes all her life. They used to belong to her mother. SO.. I guess what I'm saying is We have all been exposed to vast amounts of lead growing up. Most of us are fine. (there is always an exception) As stated before lead poisoning is built up over time. Not just minute amounts if any over 2 weeks. That being said I am glad you decided to get the lil ones checked out. Better safe than sorry. All in all, It will be ok! You caught it early and are doing something about it. Thats all you can do. This posting will help others to be more aware of what goes into their coops and or chickens. I am so sorry it happend but thank you for the post. This will serve as a good warning to others.
God Bless!

 

[SurprisingWoman]

In Utah one of our public advocates discovered that lead is present in many dishes that people eat off of every day.

I had to discard ALL of my Debbie Mumm dishes and I had the WHOLE EXPANDED SET. I am still a touch bitter. They are still here, I don't know what to do with them.

Anyway, here is the story of my struggle.

I wouldn't worry overly much. Seriously. Even going out to eat you don't know what you are eating off of.

And don't even get me started about crock pots....

http://www.surprisingwoman.com/blog/?p=10

 

[gsim]

No longer than you were exposed, I would not worry a bit. It could be that your chooks now have a minute amount of lead in their bone marrow. So what? You will be fine. It is not as if you ate those eggs from that source for years. Likely, you may have done more harm from consuming processed foods if you have not been vigilant about reading labels and what is in the processed foods today. Some of it is frightening and is consumed week after week by consumers not knowledgable about those dangers.

Just scrape and re-paint the windows and know that is surely enough.