In-home pre-schools sometimes expose children to toxic lead hazards that stem from old paint in the houses themselves.

"The worn, heart-shaped rug that greeted you upon entering Angela Molloy Murphy's preschool was a reflection of the love she has for the 17 children she cares for daily in her home's remodeled basement.

To Tamara Rubin, however, the welcome mat was more of a warning sign.

'You need to throw this out,' Rubin told Murphy.

Rubin is executive director of the nonprofit Lead Safe America Foundation. On a visit to the preschool earlier this May, she pointed an X-ray fluorescence heavy-metal detector at the rug's faded red threads and relayed the bad news: It was loaded with lead."

Lynne Peeples reports for the Huffington Post September 8, 2014. [2]