Whether you own or rent a home, whether you are buying
or selling, or whether you are starting the new year with a home
renovation, becoming knowledgeable about lead poisoning and understanding
the risks associated with exposure to lead-based substances is
extremely important for you and your family. Lead is a highly toxic
metal that was used for many years in home products. Exposure to
lead can produce numerous adverse health effects in both children
and adults. The United States began addressing residential lead
hazards during the 1970s when the numbers of children in the U.S.
with elevated blood lead levels reached nearly 4 million. There
has been significant progress in reducing the production of lead-based
products and educating the public about the known health risks,
however, there are still more than 400,000 children under the age
of six who have high levels of lead in their blood. The EPA, National
Safety Council, state and local governments and the private sector
continue to partner together to better protect the public.
As with many health hazards or concerns, significant
reductions in lead exposures is great progress, but complacency
must not take hold, and individuals must continue to be vigilant
in eliminating lead exposure risks. Childhood lead poisoning remains
a major environmental health problem in the United States . There
are many ways in which humans are exposed to lead, such as, through
deteriorating paint, household dust, bare soil, air, drinking water,
food, ceramics, hair dyes and other cosmetics. In most instances,
the lead from these sources is microscopic. However, children with
elevated blood lead levels are exposed to lead in their own homes.
Where Lead is found
In general, the older your home, the more likely
it has lead-based paint. Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based
paint. Prior to 1978, when the federal government banned lead-based
paint from housing, it was commonly used both on the interiors
and exteriors of houses. Still today, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that at least 38 million
homes still have some lead paint, while 28 million of those homes
contain significant lead-based paint hazards, which is approximately
25% of housing in the U.S. Although lead does not present health
problems if left intact, the deterioration of lead paint results
in lead dust and particles that are hazardous to children and adults.
The most significant source of lead paint exposure
comes from peeling, chipping or cracking lead-based paint. Lead
dust can form when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded
or heated. Lead chips and dust can get on surfaces that people
touch and can re-enter the air when the dust is disturbed, such
as vacuuming or sweeping. Other than paint, lead can also be found
in the soil around homes, which can absorb lead from exterior paint
or previously used lead gasoline. Likewise, if your home has plumbing
with lead, your drinking water could be contaminated. Old painted
toys and furniture could contain lead paint, as could food or liquids
stored in lead crystal or lead glazed porcelain. Hobbies, such
making pottery, stained glass or furniture refinishing, could result
in lead exposure.
Another major source of lead paint hazards comes
from renovation and remodeling. These activities are the biggest
trigger for lead-contaminated dust and a significant cause to childhood
lead poisoning. If you are involved in renovation projects, it
is important to be aware of the potential presence of lead-based
paint and take appropriate measures to protect your family. Federal
law currently requires contractors to provide residents with lead
hazard information prior to working on a home built before 1978.
Whether you hire a contractor or undertake the project yourself,
remember to prepare the worksite in manner that contains the contaminants.
Individuals working on a renovation project should wear appropriate
personal protection. In addition, windows, doors and HVAC vents
should be closed and sealed. Work areas should be cleaned up daily
and disposed of properly.
Health Effects?
Lead can enter the body by breathing or swallowing
lead dust or paint chips. Obviously, babies and children are at
greater risk since they tend put the their hands in their mouths
after touching contaminated surfaces. Furthermore, the amounts
of lead and the duration of the exposures directly impact the level
of lead to permeate the blood. As a result, the severity of the
health-related problems depends on the exposure amounts and durations.
There are many different health problems associated
with elevated blood lead levels. Young children under the age of
six are extremely vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead. Because
their brains and central nervous systems are rapidly developing,
children absorb lead more quickly. Low levels of exposure to children
can result in reduced IQ, learning disabilities, and behavior problems,
such as attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity, slowed or
stunted growth, hearing problems, and headaches. At high levels
of exposure, a child can become mentally retarded, fall into a
coma or die from lead exposure.
Lead is also harmful to adults. Exposure to lead
can result in difficulties during pregnancy, reproductive problems,
high blood pressure, digestive problems, nerve disorders, memory
and concentration problems, and muscle and joint pain. Adults require
more significant quantities of lead exposure than children to sustain
adverse health effects. In fact, most adults are exposed to lead
in the workplace. Professions related to painting, welding, home
renovating, smelting, and firing ranges. During a pregnancy, not
only can a woman with high blood lead levels transfer the lead
to the fetus, but the pregnancy can also cause her body to release
the excess amounts of lead, which can lie dormant in bones for
years. Current medical studies indicate that there is no level
of lead exposure that can be considered safe. As a result, individuals
should continue to take all precautions in their home to eliminate
exposure risks.
Checking Your Family and Home For Lead
If you think that you or your family has been exposed
to high levels of leads, get your children and home tested, especially
if your home was built before 1978, and remedy the hazards. Just
knowing that a home has lead-based paint may not tell you if there
is a hazard. If you live in a home that was built prior to 1960,
it is quite likely that it contains some lead paint. The likelihood
of lead paints diminishes yearly for home built between 1960 and
1978. Since children's blood lead levels increase rapidly between
6 to 12 months of age, then peak at 18 to 24 months of age, consult
your physician for advise on testing your children. A simple blood
test can detect high levels of lead.
There are two ways in which to test your home. You
can hire a lead inspector, who can immediately determine whether
your home contains lead paint. This type of test can take from
1 to 4 hours depending on the size of your home. If you want to
know if your home contains lead contaminated dust, the more dangerous
type of exposure, then you will need to hire a risk assessor or
sampling technician. A risk assessor can tell you if there are
any sources of serious lead exposure and what action to take in
removing the hazard. Regardless of which type of testing you choose,
make sure that you have a qualified professionals both to inspect
your home and to do any necessary abatement of hazards. If you
do not know whom to contact in your area, the National Lead Information
Center (NLIC) maintains a list of qualified professionals.
Steps to Prevent or Reduce Lead Exposure
If you think that your home has lead hazards, you
can take some immediate steps to reduce the risks.
-
Maintain the paint in
your home. Clean up paint chips and lead dust immediately
using an all-purpose cleaner or soap. This includes cleaning
your floors, window frames and sills weekly. Whenever renovating
or remodeling where the paint surface is disturbed, make
sure to moisten the surface before sanding or removing in
order to reduce the amount of lead dust.
-
Check your drinking
water at the faucets.
-
Do not store
alcohol in crystal containers. Since
crystal decanters and glasses are often made of lead,
the acid in alcohol can cause the lead to leach into
the liquid if left for long periods of time.
-
Cover bare soil
in play areas.
-
Wash children's
hands frequently.
-
Eat right. Interestingly,
good nutrition affects the absorption levels of lead in children.
Children with good diet absorb less lead. Make sure that your
child's diet includes plenty of nutritious low-fat meals that
contain iron, calcium and zinc. Foods rich in iron include
eggs, raisins, greens, beans and peas. High calcium dairy products
include milk, cheese, and yogurt. Lean red meat contains zinc.
Disclosure Requirements When Buying or Renting
a Home
If you are planning to buy or sell a home, federal
law requires that individuals receive certain information before
buying or renting a home built before 1978. Disclosure requirements
related to lead-based paint have been in effect nationwide since
1996. With some exceptions, the disclosure requirements are triggered
whenever a home built prior to 1978 is sold, rented or transferred.
The requirements apply to property owners as well as real estate
agents involved in the transaction, and any non-compliance can
result in civil and criminal penalties. Before a sale is completed,
the seller must: (1) provide the prospective buyer with a copy
of the EPA pamphlet entitled, “Protect Your Family From Lead In
Your Home,” (2) disclose any know information about the presence
of lead based paint or lead based paint hazards, (3) attach to
sales contract any records or reports relating to lead-based paint,
(4) inform buyer that he/she has 10 day period in which to obtain
a lead inspection, (5) insert federal lead warning language into
sales contract, (6) document disclosure process with attachment
to sales contract, (7) if an agent is involved, a similar document
verifying that the agent advised the seller of the disclosure requirements,
(8) attach a final certification to sales contract, signed by all
parties, verifying the accuracy of the statements. Similar disclosure
requirements are required for rental transactions.
