Lead Poisoning Effects and How It Effects Children
Lead is a soft yet very heavy metal which is found naturally in the earth and which has been introduced to the indoor environment by various human activities. Lead was used in house paint throughout the United States and was removed as a paint additive in 1978. Even though lead has not been utilized in many products, it is still commonly found in many indoor home environments and buildings.
Of course lead is still a common ingredient in other items such as batteries, solder, ammunition, unglazed pottery and roofing materials just to a few. As a result, exposures to lead are not just from paint flakes as most people believe but can still affect children and adults to this day. Parents of small children are still facing the possibility of learning disabilities by their children as well as costly lead chelation treatments which is believed to be the most effective lead detoxification method available to them.
Lead Containing Paint Flakes Are Not the Problem
I have yet to found a parent that wasn’t aware of lead containing paint flakes and the importance of preventing ingestion of them by their children. However, little is known by parents regarding the importance of lead containing dust control in certain houses, apartment and buildings. If a structure has ever had lead paint on the walls and trim, then it is likely that lead dust is still present. In fact, lead dust presents a greater threat to a child than paint flakes since it is harder to detect with the naked eye. Surfaces in these older structures which have had lead containing paint have all been sanded at one time or another prior to the application of new paint. It is this sanding process which produces lead containing dust that presents the problem. Unless it has been thoroughly and properly remediated by a lead abatement contractor this contaminated dust may still be present after many years. Lead laden dust is an accumulative pollutant and may take months or years to show symptoms in a child’s demeanor.
Lead Exposures Equaled by Dust Control
Most dust including lead laden dust in the indoor environment are small sub-micron particles which can not be seen or detected with the human eye. This is why all parents who lived in a home, apartment or other building which may have had or still has lead containing paint on the walls and trim should consider remediating the household dust in their home as if lead had been detected. Even if wall-to-wall carpeting is present, lead containing dust may still become airborne. A parent who wishes to rid their home of potentially lead laden dust usually has the following two options:
- Contract a professional lead abatement contractor to vacuum all surfaces visible and un-visible (under carpeting, etc).
- Perform an extensive do-it-yourself cleanup procedure of all surfaces using the industry standard “three passes protocol”. A “true HEPA” (High Efficient Particulate Air) vacuum must be used during this process as well as the utilization of a N95 disposable mask.
One may consider extensive airborne lead dust testing to determine whether or not lead laden dust may be present. However, the cost of such extensive air testing could be applied to cover the cost of a do-it-yourself cleanup and sometimes the expense of hiring of a lead abatement contractor. Most parents I have consulted with over the years has opted to do a thorough dust particle cleanup as a preventative measure knowing that their home did have lead containing paint in it sometime during it’s history.
About the Author
Stan K. Hall is a recognized specialist in Indoor Air Pollution as well as Health & Safety in the home. He has performed over 400 indoor environmental evaluations over the past 26 years and has helped hundreds of homeowners make their home a haven. He is widely known as the originator of T.E.A.M.; the scientifically proven approach to controlling and resolving indoor air pollution.
Read more about Lead Poisoning Facts here.
Asbestos, Mold, Lead Paint Testing. GSR Environmental Inspection Services