Lead Home Test – Sources of Exposure and Risks Involved
Lead poisoning occurs in the home, and can affect all families, regardless of whether they live in the ghettos or the high-end suburbs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about two-thirds if the homes built before 1940 and one-third of the homes built between 1940 and 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Homes built between 1960 and 1980 has surfaces coated with lead paint as well, but in a smaller percentage. In 1978, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) lowered the legal maximum lead content in most types of paint to trace amounts (0.06 percent), so houses built after that year should be relatively lead-free.
The fact that children have been poisoned by eating chips of lead-based paint has been known for years, but it was only recently documented that they are also at risk of lead poisoning from exposure to lead dust in household air. When surfaces covered with lead-based paint are scraped, sanded or heated with an open flame during paint stripping, lead dust particles can become airborne. Moreover, lead dust can also be created by the rubbing and sliding of lead-base-painted window sashes as they open and close.
When airborne, lead dust can be inhaled, and when it settles on the floor, windowsills or furniture it can be ingested by children through their normal hand-to-mouth behavior. In addition, settled lead dust particles can become airborne during household cleaning. The particles are very fine, so they can easily penetrate the filter system of home vacuums and they are recirculated in the exhaust airstream. The cleaning of lead dust should be handled only by a professional specialized in lead abatement.
A lead home test is very important, because the only way to determine whether the paint in a home contains lead or not is to test samples from different areas such as windowsills, door trim, banisters and walls with peeling or chipping paint. You can use a do-it-yourself kit, but testing by a qualified laboratory is significantly more accurate. Many such do-it-yourself kits are not very precise, and other metals can cause false-positive results. They are not sensitive to lower levels of lead, so a sample might test negative but still be considered hazardous. In addition, these kits cannot tell how much lead is in the paint. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), action to reduce lead exposure should be taken when the lead content in the paint exceeds 0.05 percent. Measures to reduce exposure to lead are particularly important when the paint is deteriorating or when infants, young children or pregnant women are present.
Property owners who have lead-painted walls and trim in their homes have several options to prevent lead hazards. If it is in good condition and there is little possibility that it will be eaten by children, it can be left undisturbed. However, if there are damaged or deteriorating sections of paint on the walls or ceilings, have those areas covered with a gypsum wallboard or some other building material or have the lead-based paint removed. If you choose to have the paint removed, remember that this must be done only by professionals trained in removing lead-based paint, since each of the paint-removal methods – sanding, scraping, chemical paint stripping, heat guns – can produce lead dust or fumes.
If not done properly, removing lead-based paint will create a greater health hazard than the original one. Sometimes, complete removal and replacement of items such as doors, windows and wall and door trim might be the best solution, as removing the paint is more costly and difficult to achieve. Again, this task also should be done only by professionals, so they can properly control, contain and remove lead dust.
Painting a non-leaded paint over a lead-based one is considered a viable method of reducing lead hazards, as long as the surface that has been painted with lead-based paint is intact. This, however, is not a permanent or long-term solution because the lead-based paint below the top coat might eventually loosen and create lead flakes and dust. Before taking any abatement procedures, have qualified lead risk assessors do a lead hazard risk analysis and develop an abatement strategy that considers all the options.
Unfortunately, awareness of this lead-dust problem is relatively recent, so currently there are few lead inspectors and abatement contractors. A number of states, however, are in the process of implementing certification, licensing or training requirements for abatement contractors. In addition, HUD has prepared and published guidelines for identification and abatement of lead-based paint hazards. To find a professional lead inspector or abatement contractor, contact your state department of health or environmental agency.