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Lead Based Paint in Homes Quick Facts...
The Problem of Lead-Based Paint
Lead-based paint is a major source of lead poisoning for children and can affect adults. Even low levels of lead in children can result in retarded mental and physical development, learning disorders, behavior problems, and reduced attention span. Lead can cause abnormal fetal development in pregnant women. Severe lead poisoning in children and adults can cause irritability, poor muscle coordination and damage to the kidneys, nerves and brain. Lead poisoning also may increase blood pressure in adults. You might have lead in and around your home without knowing it because you cannot see, taste or smell lead. Before the harmful effects of lead were known, lead was used in paint, gasoline, water pipes, solder, pottery, and many other products. As a result, you may have lead in the dust, paint, or soil in and around your home, or in your drinking water or food. Because lead does not break down naturally it can remain a problem until removed. The greatest threat is breathing or ingesting dust from lead-based paint as it wears and disintegrates over time. Approximately three-quarters of the homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. It may be found on any surface but is most commonly found on exterior-painted surfaces, interior woodwork, doors, and windows. Heavily-leaded paint was used in most homes built before the 1950s, with lower levels of lead used until 1977. In 1978, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of lead-based paint in housing. When properly maintained and managed, this paint poses little risk, although friction surfaces (windows and window sills, doors and door frames, and stairs and railings) are a concern. Lead-based paint that peels or deteriorates is especially risky. As a general rule, the older a home, the stronger the risk of lead-based paint. People are exposed to lead, not only through lead-based paint chips and flakes that you can see, but also through the fine dust that forms. This dust can get on carpets, floors, furniture, toys and other objects, as well as on the hands of children and adults in the home. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.7 million (about one in eleven) children have blood-lead levels above safe limits (10 micrograms per deciliter), mostly due to exposure to lead-based paint hazards. If your child is chronically cranky, restless or tired, sick to the stomach, experiences a poor appetite, and does not sleep well, he or she may suffer from lead poisoning. It only requires a few grains of lead-contaminated dust, eaten or inhaled on a regular basis, to cause these problems. Checking Your Home and Family for Lead
Determine if your home was built before 1978 and inspect for signs of paint chips or dust. Consider purchasing do-it-yourself test kits from home centers, paint stores, and ceramics supply outlets. However, these test kits cannot distinguish between low and high levels of lead and it may be difficult to get accurate readings on surfaces with multiple levels of paint. A typical test kit consists of sealed pouches containing a chemical substance, swab sticks and instructions. Mix the chemical powder with a moistened swab stick and apply it to the surface to be tested. If the swab stick turns a given color (usually pink or red), lead is present. There is an important distinction between the presence of lead-based paint and a lead-paint hazard. The latter poses an immediate threat, while lead-based paint in good condition might pose a hazard some time in the future. For this reason, HUD defined a detailed procedure that involves analyzing many painted surfaces in the home, evaluating the condition of paint, and measuring lead dust concentrations. A risk assessment conducted by a qualified professional will tell you if there are any sources of serious lead exposure and what actions to take. Consider using a laboratory to analyze paint and dust samples for lead content. Your local health department may be able to suggest private laboratories in your area that can test your paint and tell you how to obtain a sample for testing. Young children (up to 6 years) are especially at risk. Frequent hand-to-mouth activity of young children provides an important path for ingestion of leaded dust. A child's digestive tract will absorb a high proportion of lead in comparison to adults. Most important, the period of rapid growth and development in the early years of life leaves the body's systems most vulnerable to the effects of toxins. You cannot tell if a child has lead poisoning unless you have him or her tested. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children up to age 6 be tested for blood lead. A blood test takes only 10 minutes and results should be ready within a week. Ask your doctor for details. This is especially important for children living in older homes, deteriorated homes and urban areas. Reducing Lead Exposure
Instead of addressing homes after a child is poisoned, ensure that poisoning does not occur in the first place. There are several ways to reduce your family's lead exposure ranging from partial measures that reduce immediate exposure, to abatement (complete removal of lead-based paint). Remediation costs can be as low as a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars for abatement. Avoid activities that disturb or damage lead-based paint and create dust. It is extremely important to avoid sanding or scraping leaded paint. These are preventative measures only and are not an adequate alternative to replacement or removal of lead-based paint. Removing Lead-Based Paint
Measures to permanently eliminate lead dust hazards include component removal and replacement, paint removal, and covering surfaces. There is no completely safe method for do-it-yourself removal of lead-based paint. Each paint removal method -- sandpaper, scrapers, chemicals, and heat guns -- can produce lead fumes or dust in the air that can be inhaled. Dust can settle on floors, walls and tables. It can be ingested through hand-to-mouth contact and re-enter the air through cleaning (such as sweeping or vacuuming) or when people move throughout the house. Except for the most elementary measures, dealing with lead removal is a complex task. Implementation may be affected by local regulations. In most instances, lead-based paint should be removed by professionals who follow detailed procedures to minimize, control and contain lead dust created by the removal process. Do not attempt to remove more than a small amount of lead-based paint. However, address all chipping, peeling, or flaking lead-based paint, as well as friction surfaces (for example windows and doors) in the home. It often is much safer, and sometimes more economical, to replace painted items and cover painted surfaces. You can replace a door, molding, or other item yourself if it can be easily removed without creating lead dust. Cover walls and ceilings with gypsum wallboard, plaster, or paneling (encapsulation). If it is necessary to strip lead-based paint to maintain historic integrity, remove the item (for example molding) from the home for stripping. If the painted surface is not peeling or cracking, you can spray the surface with a sealant. Painting over lead-based paint is not a permanent solution. Obtain a copy of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) pamphlet Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home before you begin any lead removal project. Selecting Professionals
Before hiring paint-removal contractors, question them about their familiarity with the following procedures. Training and certification programs for lead-abatement contractors are available, but certified lead-removal contractors may be hard to find. However, asbestos removal contractors, trained in hazardous material removal, are widely available. Lead and Real Estate
To protect families from exposure to lead, Congress passed the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (also known as Title X). As a result, almost all sellers and landlords of housing built before 1978 must disclose known lead-based paint and lead-paint hazards and provide available reports to buyers or renters before ratification of a contract for housing sale or lease. Buyers and renters are given 10 days to have lead-hazard testing conducted (at their expense). Additionally, buyers and renters must receive a copy of the EPA's pamphlet Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home, which describes lead poisoning. Home renovators also are required to provide their clients with this pamphlet. Resources
Free pamphlets on how to prevent lead poisoning and remove lead-based paint are available from the National Lead Information Center Hotline, (800) 532-3394 (800-LEAD-FYI) or the National Lead Information Center Clearinghouse, (800) 424-5323 (800-424-LEAD). Call the latter number to obtain answers to technical questions from a specialist and get a list of laboratories that analyze paint and dust samples for lead. All EPA pamphlets and the lead disclosure rule can be obtained by calling the EPA's Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse at (800) 438-4318. The EPA Region 6 Office (Dallas) can be reached at (214) 665-6444). For information about lead hazards and assistance, call the state lead-poisoning prevention program (Lead Hazard Reduction Program), (303) 692-3012. Call your local building code officials to find out what regulations apply to renovation or remodeling work. |