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techniques. “Homeowners have poisoned their own children, accidentally and unintentionally, because they were working with lead,” Duffey says. “Homeowners should make sure that they are trained and informed before they do this work.”
The EPA says there are three rules to remember when dealing with lead paint. They are:
1. Contain the Work Area
“Cover up any heat vents, doors or other pathways where dust can travel throughout the house,” Duffey says. “Keep the windows closed because you don’t want the dust getting outside and into your soil, where your kids play or it can be tracked back into the house. If you are scraping paint outside, put plastic down first.”
2. Minimize Dust
Use wet sanding techniques and have a spray bottle on hand as you work to keep dust to a minimum. Score wood before you pry it off, Duffey says, and pay special attention to windows. “You’ve got all the junk that accumulates in the bottom, you’ve got the sashes moving up and down and then there is all the lead paint friction on the side where the sashes are rubbing against the jam,” she says. “Put jam liners in to reduce the friction.”
The EPA advises never using open-flame burning or torching techniques on lead paint. It also recommends that heat guns should never be hotter than 1,100 degrees.
To protect yourself from exposure, Duffey recommends using an air respirator device to prevent breathing in dust. Those paper masks don’t offer adequate protection. Also, wear a work suit and take it off before leaving the work area. “I’ve had people in my class that have worked all day and then they don’t change their clothes,” Duffey says. “They go home and hug their kids and that’s how their children got lead poisoning.”
3. Clean Up Thoroughly
Never sweep up dust. Instead, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and mop it up. Plastic sheeting should be thrown away, and all surfaces should be washed down. Duffey recommends requesting a lead dust test done by an EPA-certified professional. A list is available through the National Lead Information Center.
All these precautions are necessary because it does not take a lot of lead to cause significant health problems.
“The whole family should be out of the house during the time that the home renovation is carried out and until the home is safe to return to,” Dr. Rosen says, adding that ideally, any renovation involving lead paint will only be done by a professional. The risk, he says, is just too great.
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Text by Cynthia Ramnarace
© 2009 BobVila.com
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