Lead Paint 101
Posted on February 28, 2022
With all the home renovation shows on television, it is proof people love older homes and the process of returning them to their original beauty. These shows have allowed the public to see how home renovation projects are done and sometimes, how they can go wrong.
Most of the time, on tv everything turns out to benefit the homeowners and everyone is happy in the end. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen in real life. There are certain situations with older homes that can cause serious problems if not handled properly by experts. One of those serious problems is lead paint.
What you need to know about lead paint
What is lead?
Lead is a naturally occurring element found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. While it has some beneficial uses, it can be toxic to humans and animals, causing major health effects.
Where is lead found naturally?
Lead can be found in all parts of our environment – the air, the soil, the water, and even inside our homes. Much of our exposure comes from human activities. For example, the use of fossil fuels including the past use of leaded gasoline, some types of industrial facilities, and past use of lead-based paint in homes.
Lead and lead compounds have been used in a wide variety of products found in and around our homes, including paint, ceramics, pipes and plumbing materials, gasoline, batteries, ammunition, and cosmetics.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has estimated that approximately 38 million houses built before 1978, contain lead-based paint. In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (RRP) ruling requiring testing and safety precautions when contractors disturb painted surfaces in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978.People once thought only lead paint chips were dangerous, but we’ve learned that even minute dust particles are toxic and must be contained. This is done with protective gear for painters and remodelers, and with plastic sheeting around the work area, indoors and outside — all safely disposed of at the end of the day/job.
The protective suits keep lead dust off the workers, plus make sure they’re not tracking the dust home where it would be harmful to their families, especially young children, and mothers-to-be.
The true reality is that older houses are much more likely to contain lead paint. So when you’re buying an older, fixer-upper, or historic home, you need to recognize that you will be assuming added costs, generally about 10% higher, for all remodeling, repairs, and painting projects due to possible lead contamination.
The EPA set criteria for lead test kits so homeowners could do their own lead paint detection testing. The kits are inexpensive but not nearly as accurate as the tests outlined below.Make sure to purchase kits that are “EPA Recognized” for maximum accuracy. This means that if lead is present above the regulated limit in the tested surface, the test kit must correctly indicate this fact (the presence of lead) at least 95% of the time, or 19 times out of 20.
In 2010 the EPA added a new requirement, that if the amount of lead is below the regulated amount in the tested surface, the test kit must correctly indicate this fact (the absence of lead) at least 90% of the time, or 18 times out of 20.
To date, no test kit has met both requirements, so the EPA will continue to recognize test kits that meet only the first requirement until a manufacturer develops a test kit that meets both requirements.
The EPA strongly recommends that lead paint testing should always be done by professionals trained to perform the tests.You can trust CertaPro painters to deal with your lead paint concerns. We are experts trained to deal with lead paint situations. We can help you remodel your new fixer-upper home while also keeping your family safe & lead-free.
Do you have lead paint concerns? Call CertaPro Painters® of Ann Arbor, MI at 734-669-1371 for assistance and advice to keep your home and family safe.
