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Explore research on industrial lead exposure, childhood lead poisoning, and the health impacts of lead water pipes, as well as related public health guidance through items in the NLM Digital Collections.

An anthropomorphized wall gives a sinister smile on a book cover

The Flake and His Secret Plan, U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1973

Courtesy National Library of Medicine

The US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare distributed The Flake and His Secret Plan to warn the public about the danger of household lead paint. This comic book told a story about an evil flake of paint and included a short list of ways to reduce the threat of lead paint. The government took steps to educate the public on lead exposure through pamphlets like these after activists pushed for more action in the fight against lead poisoning.