What’s in Your Home Environment Can Be Making You Sick - Airborne Lead

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Are you renovating or restoring your home, then you and your family may possibly be exposing yourselves to dangerously highly levels of lead vapors in the air.

The highest concentration of lead found in homes comes from paints produced prior to 1978, when the U.S. Product Safety Commission banned lead from use in residential paints. In addition, older furniture can also contain coatings of lead paint, which can resurface even after it has been recoated by nonleaded paint due to flaking or restoration. Test kits to check for lead in paint are available both in hardware stores and online.

Concerns also exists for dishware and glassware containing lead as a component. Pollutioninpeople.org, suggests that people, “avoid old, handmade, or imported ceramic dishware, which may leach more lead than permitted by the FDA. In addition, if any ceramic items that show chalky gray residue after washing, they should not be used. Also, leaded crystalware should also be avoided.”

Symptoms of lead poisoning include: high blood pressure, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal discomfort, constipation, kidney damage, decreased sperm count, hearing loss, seizures, learning defects, loss of consciousness, and even death.

In dealing with lead paint, the New York State Department of Health suggests that “if lead paint on ceilings and walls is in good repair, then painting or covering it with wallpaper may be all that is needed to keep the lead paint in place.”

In addition, if lead paint is chipping or peeling, or if it’s on a surface such as a windowsill or stair rail where children can chew on it, then the lead paint should be removed or covered.

Painted surfaces that rub on each other, such as doors and windows, require special attention to stop the friction. If the paint has been damaged by other problems, such as water damage due to leaks, then the underlying problem should be fixed first.

In any case, caution must be used in lead removal because dust or fumes containing lead can be stirred up and further contaminate the environment. The danger is especially high for pregnant women and children.

Lead-based paint abatement at Hampstead House, Baltimore, Maryland. 2005. Photo courtesy of Page Technologies.

The NYS Department of Health offers the following safety tips for lead paint removal:

• Work in one room at a time, and seal off the work area from the rest of the house, including any heating or ventilation ducts, using heavy plastic sheets (6-mil thick is good).
• Everything in the room (furniture, rugs, carpets, floors, bedding, drapes, dishware, food, toys, etc.) must be removed, or covered with two sheets of plastic (again, heavy, 6-mil plastic) and all the seams taped. Plastic used to cover the floor should be secured to the wall or baseboard with duct tape.
• Workers should wear disposable coveralls, shoes, hair covering, goggles and a respirator approved by NIOSH (the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) or MSHA (the Mine Safety and Health Administration). HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) respirators must be used which will filter lead dust and fumes. Simple paper or fabric dust masks will not protect a worker from lead dust.
• To avoid ingesting lead, workers should not eat, drink, or smoke on the job. Workers need to clean up carefully. Before leaving the work area, they should dispose of their coveralls, and remove the dust from their clothes with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filtered vacuum cleaner. And workers should shower as soon as they can after work, so they don’t spread lead dust around their homes. 
• Use wet hand sanding and/or power sanding with HEPA filters. Only wet hand sanding and/or an electric sander equipped with a HEPA filtered vacuum attachment should be used. Dry hand sanding should never be done.
• Use wire brushing or wet hand scraping with the aid of a non-flammable solvent or abrasive compound. Liquid paint removers can be used on small areas, such as windowsills, doors and woodwork. Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions and warning labels before purchasing and using.

In addition, it is important to note that lead removal will generate lead dust and debris. Unless the house is properly cleaned, it will be more hazardous after the work than it was before!

Everyday, the debris should be misted with water, swept up and placed in double 4-mil or 6- mil plastic bags. Then all surfaces should be wet-dusted and wet-mopped. A HEPA-equipped vacuum should be used on all surfaces (floors, walls, ceilings, woodwork, carpeting, furniture).

Don’t use a standard household vacuum or shop vacuum, which is not designed or equipped to trap lead dust particles. Then wet-mop hardwood surfaces with a solution containing a heavy-duty household cleaner (automatic dishwasher detergent or a lead-specific detergent). The wet-mopping should be followed by another HEPA vacuuming.

Old rugs and carpets should be replaced, if possible; and all furniture, bedding, rugs, carpets, drapes, etc., that were removed prior to work should be cleaned before being brought back in.

Disposing of lead debris should be done using doubled-bags and placing them in the household trash. Lead debris must never be burned. Liquid wastes, including wash water, must never be dumped onto the ground; waste water should be filtered through a cloth filter before dumping it into a sanitary sewer or toilet. The filtered debris can go out with the other trash. The mops and cloths used to clean up lead dust and debris should never be used for any other purpose, and should be disposed of when the job is done.

In the end, it is safest not to undertake lead removal on your own. Contact your local health department for additional information or for help in identifying qualified contractors experienced in lead removal.

The ultimate purpose of this article is to make people aware that if they are buying or renovating an old house, that there is the potential for lead poisoning and what are their different options. In addition, it is important to be aware of lead paint removal procedure, even if a professional does it, in order to monitor whether they are doing the job properly.