Renovating a Home that has Lead Paint

Hallway built-in. Photo courtesy of Halley Bock. Lead paint was banned for in-home use after a 1975 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of children who grew up near a lead smelter in El Paso, Texas, showed that the greater a child’s lead exposure, the lower their IQs and the higher the chance of behavior and reaction time problems. Lead generally enters the body through paint dust or chips that are ingested, which is why infants and young children—who have a propensity to put anything and everything in their mouths—are at greatest risk for exposure. Lead can also be inhaled, especially during a remodeling project when sanding a painted wall aerosolizes the toxin. For this reason, pregnant women are strongly advised to take precautions regarding lead exposure because the heavy metal can affect fetal development. Children aren’t the only ones at risk. Adults exposed to the heavy metal are at increased risk of hypertension, which can lead to heart disease, as well as memory problems. Hallway built-in. Photo courtesy of Halley Bock. “The brain is always making new cells, so adults can see similar intellectual impairments to those we see in children exposed to lead,” says John Rosen, M.D., head of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “For example, lead exposure can result in an adult getting in the car to go to the local supermarket but then forgetting where they are going, what their task is or forgetting the shopping list.” Since lead’s removal from gasoline and paint, lead blood levels in children have declined 90 percent. But the risk of exposure still exists and—according to one study—is one the rise. Home renovation without proper lead abatement techniques is responsible for a growing percentage of lead poisoning cases. A 2009 CDC report that looked at New York state showed that between 1993 to 1994 and 2006 to 2007, the number of children with elevated blood lead levels due to home renovation work doubled from seven to 14 percent of all cases. If you own a home built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose to tenants or future owners any knowledge you have regarding the existence of lead paint in the house. Beginning in April 2010, the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program rule from the EPA takes effect. This rule mandates lead-safe work practices and certification and training for paid contractors and maintenance professionals working in pre-1978 housing, as well as child-care facilities and schools. Lead Remediation Peeling, chipping and cracking lead paint should be dealt with immediately, the EPA advises, but lead paint that is good condition is not considered a health hazard. If you are unsure whether your paint has lead in it, home kits such as  the one Bock used are available but EPA says they are not always accurate. Consumer Reports magazine tested several kits and found Homax Lead Check, LeadCheck Household Lead Test Kit and Abotex Lead Inspector to be the most reliable. Trained professionals can give you a thorough lead assessment. Information for experts in your area is available at the National Lead Information Center. If you do decide to embark on this work yourself, educate yourself first, says Ada Duffey, president of the Milwaukee Lead/Asbestos Information Center who trains contractors on safe lead paint removal

...Continued - Page 2 of 3 ( 1 2 3 )
< Previous Page | Next Page >