Lead is a toxic chemical capable of causing severe neurological damage in children, and can even be deadly in high enough doses. Here are some other lead facts you should know about:

Lead fact #1: Left undisturbed, lead can remain in the top few inches of soil for hundreds of years. (Young, 1-20-2016) So fallout from lead pollution will be with us for quite some time.

Lead fact #2: Unlike many toxic substances, there is no limit below which lead is known to be harmless. (Gray, 2012)

Lead fact #3: The average child today carries around 1,000 times more lead in their bones than pre-industrial age children did. (Needleman, 1992)

Lead fact #4: Five percent of preschoolers have high levels of lead in their blood, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Lead fact #5: Millions of Americans get water to their homes from lead pipes, and millions more have copper pipes with lead solder. (Mastio, 2016) All told, it’s estimated that 30 million Americans have drinking water with lead levels that exceed the EPA’s maximum limits for safe water. (Barber, 2014)

Lead fact #6: Thirty-eight million homes – or around half of all homes built before 1978 – still contain lead. (Koch, 1-19-2012)

Lead fact #7: There are at least 7.3 million lead service pipes that lie underneath most major U.S. cities, according to the EPA. (Paynter, 2016)