If you’re in a contaminated area, you’re contaminated. Hopefully not enough to make a difference if you don’t eat paint chips.

• But smaller chips are part of the dust that gets everywhere.
• Chips and stripped paint is part of the soil that may be pulled up into any vegetables grown in that soil.
• heavy metals bioaccumulate so even small exposures over enough time can add up to a problem
• it’s not just lead, mercury is notorious for bioaccumulating up the food chains for many seafoods