House paint: Get the lead out

While you might have read, heard, or seen many recent news reports about the recalls of children’s toys with excessive levels of lead paint, it’s important to remember that the leading cause of lead poisoning in children is house paint. "Protect Our Most Valuable Resource—Our Children" is the theme of this year’s National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which runs through October 27. It’s a good time to take advantage of free lead screening and educational events hosted by many states and communities and to eliminate risks around your home.

Even though paints containing lead have been banned in this country since 1978, lead remains a looming danger for anyone living in a home built before that year since a renovation or remodeling project or even simple aging can create toxic dust. Airborne lead particles can make their way into your body or contaminate the soil around your home. The older your home, says the Environmental Protection Agency, the greater the chance it has lead-based paint, a threat even if you've laid lead-free coats over it. To minimize lead-paint exposure, follow these tips when working on your home:

Look for lead. The Environmental Protection Agency suggests you not use home test kits but rather opt for professional testing. (We are currently testing home-use testing kits for lead in paint and will report on them in a Spring 2008 issue.) A trained inspector can test painted surfaces on-site or send samples to a lab. The EPA brochure “Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home,” available at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/rrpamph.pdf, offers suggestions on finding an inspector as well as information on what to look for in a remediation contractor. (The brochure is a good overall source of information for dealing with lead hazards.) Also read this entry from the Consumer Reports On Safety blog about our recent report on home lead-testing kits.

Prep properly when painting. If there are no qualified pros in your area to remediate lead paint or if you're determined to do the job yourself, steer clear of hazards when you're preparing a surface for repainting. Do not use a sander, propane torch, heat gun, dry scraper, or dry sandpaper to remove the finish. If you do, you can create dust that's tracked around the house, and fumes generated when heat is applied can be poisonous.

Protect yourself. Dust masks won't help, so wear a NIOSH-certified respirator equipped with HEPA filters to control lead exposure. Also don coveralls, goggles, and gloves. Clean up carefully with a HEPA-filter vacuum and a wet mop.

Shield your family. Move them out of the house--or at least properly seal off the work area--until the prepping is complete and the area is thoroughly cleaned. This involves removing all paints chips immediately, wiping all surfaces with warm water and a general-purpose cleaner or one designed for use with lead, and thoroughly rinsing sponges and mops afterward. Wash your kids’ hands often, especially before meals and bedtime. And regularly clean items in play areas.

Eliminate leftover paint. While paint made after 1978 does not contain lead, it can still pose a threat. For example, tossing the remaining paint sends it into the waste stream where it could contaminate soil and groundwater. See our report on dealing with leftover paint for information on how to reuse, donate, or properly dispose of cans.—Helen A.S. Popkin

Essential information: To learn about childhood lead-poisoning prevention, contact the following agencies:
• Center for Disease Control’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Lead Information Center.

Comments

[Maling]

Nice post, thank you for sharing!

[Largine]

it's reliable information about paint. nice!

[GH]

Most electrical cords around the house come with lead caution labels. Are they a threat similar to lead paint?