Myths About Lead Paint
Lead paint poses a health risk in and around houses and the workplace. Lead was determined to cause a number of health problems such neurological, reproductive, digestive muscular, and was banned from gasoline and paint in the late 1970’s. It is especially dangerous to children who can develop learning disorders and even retardation from relatively low levels of lead in their bloodstream. Despite the dangers explicated by the EPA, doctors and scientists, it remains a misunderstood subject.
MYTH: Lead is no longer being manufactured in paint.
FACT: Paint may still contain lead as long as the level does not exceed 0.50% by weight.
MYTH: Children must eat paint chips to get lead in their bloodstream.
FACT: Paint chips rarely are the direct problem. Opening and closing windows, doors and other “friction zones,” especially in the summer when humidity swells the wood, causes dust to be released into the air where it can be inhaled, or onto food, toys, furniture, or even the floor where it is touched. When the child puts their fingers into their mouths, they are ingesting lead. The same applies to soil in the yard. Exterior painting and sanding can release dust and chips into the yard.
MYTH: Only old houses have lead paint.
FACT: Any house built before 1978 has an equal chance of having lead paint in it
FACT: The date of 1978 only means that it was no longer legal to produce lead paint. But many paints manufactured before that time were not lead paint. Only some paints were lead paint. Even a bucket of lead paint may not result in lead paint being in the house. The lead may have sunk to the bottom of the can and only 3/4ths of the can was used.
MYTH: If the old paint was painted over, it can no longer be dangerous.
FACT: If it was painted over in a friction zone like a doorway, window, railing or the like, as soon as the door or window is opened, all old bottom layers can become friable, releasing lead dust into the air. If the surface of on non-friction zone is not prepared properly, the bottom layers can become loose and flake off, also releasing lead dust into the air.
MYTH: A building shouldn’t be tested for lead paint – just assume it is.
FACT: Often times, very little or no lead paint is found in even the oldest of buildings. The abatement can cost tens of thousands of dollars which would be unnecessarily spent if the testing had been first performed. Knowledge is power!
MYTH: I can just go to Home Depot and get a kit to test the paint myself.
FACT: The rub-on sticks are not accurate. You get what you pay for. The only accurate methods are chemical analysis of chips and dust by a laboratory, or a properly calibrated XRF machine operated by a licensed technician. In addition, one must be trained to know where to look and how to effectively collect samples, both qualitatively and quantitatively. And beware of any company who quotes one price for testing your house, sight unseen. Something is wrong, because laboratories charge for analysis on a per-sample basis, and the number of samples needed cannot be known until the tester comes to the house and actually looks at the paint.
MYTH: I’m having my house renovated anyway so I don’t need to have it tested.
FACT: Current laws mandate that only an EPA licensed lead abatement contractor can remove lead paint. This is a much more expensive proposition. If testing indicates no lead paint, or only isolated areas of it, you can hire a regular contractor to do the work at a lower price. Also, due to the reason just cited, a contractor will need to know if there is lead paint in the work area. Improper protocol can release dangerous lead dust into the air of the entire house where it could remain for many days, as well as landing unseen on surfaces and objects.
