The Dangers of Lead-Based Paint in Your Home
These days, the problems with lead-based paint are common knowledge among homeowners, but it wasn’t until relatively recently that the use of lead in house paint was completely phased out. Before the dangers of lead were known, it was a common ingredient in house paint, where it acted as a pigment and increased durability. Though banned for use in paint in the U.S. in 1978, millions of homes, schools, and businesses still have lead based paint on their walls, both inside and out. This is not an overstatement; a whopping 87 percent of homes built before 1940 still contain lead-based paint, and while that percentage declines for later years, even homes built between 1960 and the 1978 total ban on lead for use in house paint can still contain it, to the tune of roughly 27 percent of homes built during this time.
Even though lead poses well documented and substantial health risks, it nonetheless is present in a large amount of older buildings, mostly because there are no regulations stipulating it must be removed. This is partly because lead-based paint is most harmful if it’s exposed, peeling, or subject to abrasion or wear, sending inhalable particles into the air. The health risks are considered manageable if the old lead-based paint is properly covered, sealed, and not peeling, especially because stripping the old, toxic coat can actually be more harmful than leaving it in place. Thus, you’re more likely than not to find buildings containing lead-based paint where the risk is considered acceptable, and it’s common for buildings with lead-based paint to either remain as they are or even be sold regardless of the paint used in them. Still, this is like saying asbestos carries an acceptable level of risk provided no one spends long amounts of time in the building; is that really something you want to risk as a homeowner, particularly if you have children?
As we said a moment ago, the adverse effects of lead on the human body, particularly developing children, are well known and thoroughly documented. Lead is known to cause severe damage to the brain and nervous system, a reduction in I.Q. levels, learning disorders, behavioral problems, and slowed growth in children as a result of long-term exposure early in life. More acute lead poisoning, on the other hand, is characterized by headaches, muscle and joint pain, hearing loss, a decrease in cognitive and memory functions, high blood pressure, and fertility problems, including pregnancy complications.
So it’s in homeowners’ best interest to deal with any lead-based paint in their homes and avoid the purchase of homes containing it, while investors and sellers need to look at it from a valuation perspective; no matter what the cost of removing lead-based paint may be, the costs of keeping it, both in terms of property value and long-term health effects on their community as a whole, are far greater.
If you suspect your home or property may contain lead-based paint, there are a few ways to be certain about it. This is important because not every seller or realtor is even aware of the paint composition of each house they put on the market, nor are they legally obligated to disclose the presence of lead-based paint. You can take paint chips and send them to a laboratory for testing, which will cost anywhere between $50 and $100 per sample. You can also test the samples yourself at home, but these do-it-yourself methods are less reliable, so it’s best to have them professionally evaluated. If the paint is confirmed to have lead, you need to seriously think about removing it.
The process of removing lead-based paint is not simply a matter of stripping the surface and repainting as part of a daylong project; in fact, this is the literal opposite of what you want to do. Remember, what makes lead-based paint deadly is the peeling and flaking of it sending particles into the air. This means that the process of removing it is a delicate one, and if you currently live in the home, you may want to think about relocating your family temporarily because whatever ill effects may result from simply having lead paint in the home, they’re exponentially worse during the process of removing it.
When taking on a remodeling or painting project in a house that has lead paint, the best course of action is to hire a contractor who is trained and certified (and insured!) in lead removal. Like we said a moment ago, it’s worth considering moving out while the renovation is taking place. At the very least, you’ll want to have the contractor completely seal off the area under construction from the rest of the house, and disconnecting any HVAC ductwork is an absolute imperative because it could facilitate the spread of dust throughout the home.
For the handier homeowner or investor, removing the paint yourself is an option, but you should always consider hiring a contractor as the safest, surest option here. If you decide to go ahead and do it yourself, you’ll want to take the initial precautions of fully sealing off the room to be renovated, disconnecting the HVAC vents (see above), removing all furniture, and covering the floors with a double layer of heavy, 6-millimeter plastic AND taping the seals off. Remember, lead particles and the dust containing them will be very fine, and it will get everywhere if you don’t take appropriate preventative measures in this regard.
It’s also important to wear clothing and use tools and materials approved by NIOSH (the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) or MSHA (the Mine Safety and Health Administration). You’ll not want to cut corners on this one, because like we said, the dust containing lead will be very fine and will get everywhere. You’ll need approved suits as well as respirators and even hair covers, and refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking while you’re active on the renovation site. Further, make sure you shower each day after working so you don’t accidentally spread contaminated dust to other rooms of the house, your own home, or to the place where your family is staying.
As for the actual removal itself, it’s important to use wet methods. Again, it’s not a matter of just scraping the lead-based paint off and replacing it; when the material is dry, it’s more likely to disintegrate into contaminated dust, which can easily spread. Therefore, you’ll want to use either wet-scraping or wet-sanding methods (it must be done by hand and not with any abrasive methods, and make sure you do not use a heat gun!), and have a NIOSH-approved industrial vacuum on hand to take care of any dust or particles. Once you commit to removing lead paint, you have to see the job through. Any renovation left half-finished will cause even more problems than the paint itself did before, and will ensure that contaminated paint will continue to peel and disburse through the rest of the building.
Again, it’s always best to hire a professional when if you need to remove lead-based paint, but it’s possible to do it yourself if you’re able to follow the conditions we’ve detailed here. It’s worth it in the long run, because overall it will help keep the value of your property up, especially if new regulations regarding buildings with lead paint are ever passed.
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– Get It Right Solutions