What Owner Can Do About Lead Paint Risk

QUESTION: I’m remodeling my home and wonder if the existing paint inside my home contains lead. How can I tell? And if it does contain lead, how do I get rid of it safely?

ANSWER: The only sure way to know is to have chips of the paint tested for lead. If your home was constructed before 1980, consider having the paint tested. This is especially important if there are infants, children, pregnant women or adults with high blood pressure living in the home. Lead-based paint is a major source of lead poisoning for children and can also affect adults. It’s wise to determine if it’s present in your home before remodeling.

Eating paint chips is one way young children are exposed to lead. A more common exposure is ingesting and inhaling lead dust created as lead-based paint chips or peels from deteriorated surfaces. Lead dust can settle on floors, walls and furniture--a prime condition for children ingesting lead dust from hand-to-mouth contact. Settled dust can re-enter the air through sweeping or vacuuming.

Lead was used as a pigment in “alkyd” oil-based paint. “Latex” water-based paints generally have not contained lead. The majority of homes built before 1940, and about one-half of the homes built from 1940 to 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. In 1977, the Consumer Protection Agency banned paint products for consumer use that contain lead in excess of 0.06% (trace amount). Indoor house paint manufactured since 1977 should not contain lead in excess of 0.06%.

A fact sheet titled “Removal of Lead-Based Paint in Homes” is available from the Office of Toxic Substances, Washington State Department of Health, Mail Stop LD-11, Olympia, Wash. 98504-7825, or by calling (206) 586-5403.

Labs that can perform the analyses for lead may be found in the yellow pages. There are do-it-yourself kits on the market, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has not evaluated any of the kits. For information on collection, shipping and cost of the tests call the lab directly.

Getting Paint Chip Sample

1--Get sample containers from the lab or use resealable plastic bags. Label the containers or bags with your name and the location in the house from which each paint sample was taken.

2--Use a sharp knife to cut through the edges of the sample paint. The lab should tell you the size of the sample needed. It will probably be about 2 inches by 2 inches.

3--Lift off the paint with a clean putty knife and place in the container. Be sure to take a sample of all layers of paint, since only the lower layers may contain lead. Do not include any of the underlying wood, plaster, metal or brick.

4--Wipe the surface and any paint dust with a wet cloth or paper towel and discard.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recommends action to reduce exposure when the lead in paint is greater than 0.5% by lab testing. If the paint is firmly attached to the surface with no blistering, peeling or flaking, it may be best not to remove the paint.

Steps to Reduce Exposure

1--Replace painted items, such as doors. Items that are difficult to remove should be replaced by professionals who will control and contain lead dust.

2--Cover the lead-based paint. You can spray the surface with a sealant or cover it with gypsum wallboard. However, painting over lead-based paint is not a long-term solution.

3--Have the lead-based paint removed by trained professionals. Each of the paint removal methods (sandpaper, chemicals and heat guns) can produce lead fumes or dust. HUD has prepared guidelines for removing lead-based paint. Ask contractors about their qualifications, experience removing lead-based paint and plans to follow these guidelines.

Some of the factors that will determine which step or steps you take are: the level of lead in the paint, the condition of the paint (is it chipping?) and your own tolerance level.

Written by Lee Benne of the Energy Extension Service, a division of the Washington State Energy Office.