You may find it hard to believe, but simple housekeeping can prevent
the majority of lead hazards from ever reaching dangerous levels in your
home. Lead dust is found where dust commonly settles - places like:
There are effective methods of dealing with lead paint. Encapsulation
- putting a thick lead-bonding coating over the paint - is one method.
There are several lead encapsulants on the market. Removal is a more costly
method. Removal should only be done by an EPA certified lead abatement
contractor.
The first step to preventing lead poisoning is awareness. Homefree
Test Kits "arm" you with the knowledge to keep you and your family
safe from lead.
As a parent you must take control of the health and safety of your children.
Some of the health effects associated with lead exposure in young children
are irreversible. Blood lead level testing is a bad idea. Using
your children as test instruments to measure thier exposure to lead by
blood lead level testing could be too late. The government,
although good intentioned, is a political institution that often acts irrationally.
One of the most significant reductions in potential lead exposure was the
removal of lead from gasoline. The EPA did not define lead as a pollutant
until after the National Resource Defense Council brought a suit against
the EPA in 1973. The President of MACS Lab believes that the removal
of lead from gasoline had nothing to do with the protection of our children
but rather to protect catalytic converters in automobiles from lead poisoning.
Whenever the dust is stirred in these areas (opening a window to air out
Uncle Jim's cigar odor), lead can potentially be released into the air
and subsequently into you or your childs lungs. Simply wiping these areas
down with a damp disposable cloth can greatly reduce the liklihood of lead
exposure.
LEAD PAINT
Of Course, there are some hazards that cannot be maintained so easily.
For instance, lead paint - extremely common in homes built prior to 1978
- can be extremely hazardous if in poor condition or disturbed. Sanding,
scraping, or disturbing lead based paint in any way can potentially release
lead into the air(Something to consider the next time you consider renovating
your home). Since lead has a tendency to "leach" through painted surfaces,
simply repainting over lead paint is not a viable solution.
LEAD IN SOIL
Lead in soil is also a common hazard. Think about all of the vehicles that
have passed by your residence since the time it was built. If you live
in an older dwelling, this number may be astronomical. Remember, lead was
used as a gasoline additive for decades. Soil near roadways is almost assuredly
contaminated to some extent. The leaching effect of lead in paint, as noted
above, is also a cause for lead contaminated soil. Weather takes its toll
on the outside of homes. Lead is heavy, so it tends to fall to the ground
within a few yards surrounding a dwelling. This just happens to be the
most popular place for planting flowers, bushes, etc. Once again, the soil
is "stirred up" and lead dust is released into the air. Dirt in your yard
is almost guaranteed to get inside your home on the bottoms of muddy shoes
and pet paws. In order to combat these problems, there are several options.
The most common way of preventing the soil from being disturbed is to plant
grass. Periodically steam-cleaning the carpet or mopping the floor will
keep lead out of your home. If soil is heavily contaminated, it should
be removed by a certified lead abatement contractor. For HUD regulated
housing this may be mandatory in certain circumstances.
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