Healthy actions – protect yourself from arsenic and lead in dirt

After working or playing in the dirt, always wash your hands, especially before eating. Use plenty of soap and water — not hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizers don’t remove dirt.

Use a “wipe-off” mat to reduce the amount of dirt and dust coming into your home. Provide a shoe rack or area for shoes at your door. Ask guests to remove their shoes, too.

You should also dust with a damp cloth to reduce inhaling dust. Don’t sweep with a broom — it can stir up dust. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter or a damp mop. Keep young children out of rooms for an hour after vacuuming to let dust settle.

Wash children's bedding, toys, and pacifiers frequently. Cover bare patches of soil in your yard to keep toys out of the dirt. Provide a sand box for children to dig in.

Grow your produce in raised beds or pots made with untreated materials. Use a scrub brush to clean dirt from under your fingernails. Dust yourself off outside and wash dirt-covered clothes separately. See our gardening page for more information.

Cover up bare soil so dogs don’t dig and track dirt into the house.Vacuum and mop regularly (at least once a week) to clean up whatever gets brought into your home.

What to do about dogs that dig?! For more recommendations visit, the Dirt Alert blog.

Use a scrub brush to wash all fruits and vegetables. Peel root vegetables. Eat a diet rich in iron, calcium, and vitamin C to decrease the amount of lead your body absorbs.

Pets can track contaminants from the soil into the home. Brush and bathe your pet regularly. Give pets their own bed.

Build or install a sandbox

Sandboxes provide a safe place for children to play and stay out of the soil.

• Use a cover to keep soil and cats out.
• Use play sand that has been washed and screened for use in children’s play areas.

Place rubber mats, pea gravel, or mulch under children’s play sets

Be sure to check that the rubber mats, pea gravel, or mulch are safe for children. Check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the ASTM before purchasing recycled rubber products.