Learn more about lead paint abatement.
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Exposure to lead paint, especially
lead dust, is a serious health threat to your
family. Lead poisoning is one of the most widespread environmental
hazards today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
about one child in 23 has high levels of lead in his or her blood. Because
a person cannot see, taste or smell lead, many parents don’t realize they
have a lead problem in their home, daycare center, or school until their
children become ill.
Lead was added to paint long ago to increase durability and provide richer
deeper color palettes. In 1978 lead based paint was banned from residential
use. Because of its widespread use for many years it can still be found
in homes, buildings, older painted cribs, furniture, toys and playground
equipment.
You should reduce lead paint risk in your home or workplace as soon as you
realize that danger is present. You may wish to exercise interim controls
that temporarily reduce the risk of exposure to lead hazards. For example,
you can repair damaged painted surfaces or plant grass to cover contaminated
soil. Or you may decide to reduce the risk of lead exposure all together
through a lead paint abatement process. This is the permanent elimination
of lead based paint hazards.
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A lead paint abatement involves...
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Removal of lead painted items such
as window frames, doors, and trim and the installation of new, lead-free
items.
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Covering of lead painted surfaces
with a stiff material such as paneling or wallboard to prevent lead
dust from getting into the environment. Enclosure also prevents contact
with the lead based paint.
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Covering of lead painted surfaces
with a special liquid coating. Once it dries, the coating prevents contact
with the lead based paint and the spread of lead dust.
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Removal of paint done either in your
home or at a paint stripping facility. Methods often used include wet
scraping, wet planing, or stripping.
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Should you need the services of a professional lead abatement
contractor contact the National Lead Information Center at (800) 424-LEAD. |
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Probability of a house
containing Lead
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Lead dust:
Forms when painted surfaces hit or rub together, when homes are remodeled
or when paint is scraped or sanded. Paint dust or chips can cling to toy’s,
fingers, and other objects children normally put into their mouths.
Soil:
Becomes contaminated with lead due to the breakdown of lead based paint
on buildings and playground equipment. The soil near roads, highways and
garages may also contain high lead levels due to years of gasoline exhaust
emissions. Lead from the soil can also be transported into the house on
shoes.
Drinking Water:
Lead gets into drinking water when old pipes in the plumbing of a building
wear down or corrode or when lead solder is used to connect pipes. Old homes
and schools are often more at risk because pipes made before the 1930’s
may be solid lead.
Important Practices when working with Lead:
Check Federal, State and Local Regulations. The EPA and your local community
may have rules for waste disposal of lead product.
Avoid creating dust. Use low dust work practices (for example, mist surfaces
with lead clean or water before sanding or scraping).
Avoid spreading dust. Cover area under work with durable protective sheeting
(plastic or poly) that are easy to dispose of. Do not use Canvas or Butyl
dropcloths as they will become and remain contaminated with the lead dust.
Protect the work area. Keep children and all nonessential people away. Wear
proper respiratory protection for lead dust. At clean up take dust wipe
samples to make sure the area is safe. Wash your clothes separately from
other household laundry.
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Things you should never do when working
with Lead:
Use
power sanders or grinder without HEPA vacuum attachment. These machines
create a lot of dust that can contaminate a building and the ground around
a building endangering workers, neighbors and occupants.
Use open flame or high heat removal of paint. It produces toxic gases that
a HEPA dust canister on a respirator cannot filter out on its own. It creates
high levels of toxic dust that is difficult to cleanup up.
Use paint removers containing Methylene Chloride. removers containing methylene
chloride should not be used because this chemical is toxic and is known
to cause cancer.
Use uncontained hydro blasting. Removal of paint using this method can spread
paint chips, dust, and debris beyond the work area. This method makes it
difficult to cleanup up the hazardous material at the end of the job.
Use uncontrolled abrasive blasting. This work method can also spread paint
chips, dust and debris beyond the work area. This method makes it difficult
to clean these hazards at the end of the job.
Extensive dry scraping or sanding. Extensive dry scraping or sanding creates
large amounts of paint chips, dust and debris that is hard to contain.
Additional resources for Lead information:
The alliance for Healthy
Homes
National Center
for Healthy Housing
Office of Healthy
Homes and Lead Hazard Control
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to purchase Strip Tox click
here |
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Common precautions to exercise during removal of lead
paint
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More
than 80 percent of the US Homes built before
1978 contain lead based paint.
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When
working on components that can be moved, such as doors and window sashes,
think about setting up a dust room. A dust room is an area isolated from
occupied areas where workers can do dust generating work. The door of the
room is covered with a flap and the floor is covered with protective sheeting.
Using a dust room contains dust and paint chips, and makes cleanup quicker
& easier.
