We come into contact with lead, mercury, and arsenic in many aspects of our lives, but there are some steps we can take to reduce our exposure.

Remove treated wood. Remove wood treated with the preservatives CCA or ACZA, which contain arsenic. If removing arsenic-treated wood is not an option, you can paint or seal the wood to reduce leaching and contact exposure. Choose semi-transparent deck stains for deck surfaces and play structures, and latex paint for fences, tables, and other furniture. Reapply the coating when it shows signs of deterioration.

Avoid fish high in mercury. Avoid fish high in mercury, such as king mackerel, tilefish, swordfish, shark, orange roughy, and marlin. Limit consumption of tuna, especially steaks and canned ‘white’ albacore. Lower-mercury choices include wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, Atlantic herring, Dungeness crab, Pacific cod, Alaskan black cod, farmed striped bass, tilapia, farmed catfish, clams, mussels, and Pacific oysters.

If you eat sport-caught fish, check the Department of Health’s fish advisories for specific guidance on Washington water bodies or coastal waters.

You can find additional guidance on fish choices at the following websites:
Environmental Defense’s Oceans Alive: Best and Worst Seafood
Environmental Working Group: Mercury in Seafood (includes Tuna Calculator)

Fish are an excellent source of nutrients, including protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D, and we encourage people to continue eating fish following these precautions. Limiting mercury intake from fish is especially important for young children and women who are pregnant, nursing, or of child-bearing age.

Watch for lead paint. If you live in a home built before 1978, it is likely to contain lead-based paint. If the paint is chipping, peeling, or otherwise deteriorating, or if you want to remodel, hire a certified abatement worker to remove or contain contaminated paint. Also, use door mats, remove shoes at the door, and vacuum and clean regularly to reduce lead that accumulates in house dust.

Protect drinking water. Flush your cold water pipes (run water until it becomes as cold as it will get) before drinking, and only use cold water for drinking or cooking, to reduce exposure to lead that may be leaching from plumbing.

Avoid PVC. Choose alternatives to products made of PVC, which often contain lead. This is especially important for items that are likely to come into direct contact with children’s hands and mouths, such as toys, teethers, and lunchboxes. Also, check to make sure that you don’t own children’s products that have been recalled due to high levels of lead. Old toys and furniture made prior to 1978 may contain lead-based paint. For consumer product safety information, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website.

Watch for lead in dishware. Do not use old, imported, or homemade ceramic dishware, unless you know that the glazes do not contain lead. Avoid leaded crystal, as well as imported food cans, which can contain lead solder.

Make sure medicines are free of toxic metals. Some home remedies, as well as drugs and cosmetics, can contain these metals. Look at ingredient lists, talk to your doctor, and avoid folk remedies and other medicines that contain lead, arsenic, or mercury.

Be cautious with mercury-containing products. When possible, choose products without mercury, such as digital thermostats and thermometers. Be careful not to break fluorescent light bulbs, mercury thermometers, or other household items that contain liquid mercury. These products release harmful mercury vapors when broken. If they do break, use appropriate clean-up methods, found here.

Check paints and art supplies. Avoid paints containing mercury compounds, which were used in the past as fungicides and are still found in some paints as pigments. Also avoid lead solder and artists’ paints and glazes that contain lead. Information on some products containing these ingredients is available from the Household Products Database. Otherwise, ask the manufacturer.

Skip herbicides with arsenic. Avoid arsenic-containing herbicides, which have ingredients listed as monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA), calcium acid methanearsonate, or cacodylic acid.

Consider composite fillings. Consider choosing composite dental fillings rather than mercury-containing amalgam fillings.