Lead-Based Paint is Toxic
Lead dust causes lead poisoning!
And a little lead dust goes a long way!
Did you know that scraping and sanding lead based paint creates lead dust and lead poisoning?
Did you know that over 38 million homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint and is commonly found on interior and exterior woodwork, doors and windows?
The older the home, the higher the risk!
Lead-based paint is hazardous, and so is the dust associated with lead-based paint during a re-painting project!
Federal law requires renovation firms (including sole proprietorships) to be certified and requires individuals to be trained in the use of lead-safe work practices.
We are an EPA Certified Firm with Certified Renovators with all the training to perform all the activities in accordance with the work practices required by the EPA Renovation, Repair and Maintenance Program (RRP)
Painters or Painting Companies not EPA Certified cannot work with lead based paint without risking large fines and worse unknowingly spreading lead dust in the air we breathe to our families and neighbors!
On April 22, 2008, the EPA issued the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. It requires that firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools be certified by the EPA and that they use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers to follow lead-safe work practices.
The rule generally does not apply to minor maintenance or repair activities where less than six square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where less than 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior.
As a contractor, we play an important role in helping to prevent lead exposure. Ordinary renovation and maintenance activities can create dust that contains lead. By following the lead-safe work practices, you can prevent lead hazards.
The purpose of the RRP Rule is to minimize exposure from lead-based paint dust during renovation, repair, or painting activities. This is a key effort in reducing the prevalence of childhood lead poisoning, particularly lead poisoning caused by housing contaminated by renovation activities. This will also minimize exposure to older children and adults who are also adversely impacted by lead-based paint dust exposure. Lead paint was used in more than 38 million homes prior to its ban for residential use in 1978. This paint can form toxic dust when it is disturbed during normal home repair work. EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) program is designed to reduce lead contamination by training contractors in relatively simple lead-safe work practices, and certifying contractors to make sure that they follow lead safe work practices. We also want consumers to choose firms that are certified. Given that lead poisoning can cause a wide range of physical, intellectual, emotional, and behavioral issues with social and financial impacts, this program is prevention-based, cost-effective, and a long-term bargain.
The RRP Rule covers activities that modify an existing structure and that result in the disturbance of painted surfaces. All types of repair, remodeling, maintenance, modernization, and weatherization projects are covered.
We, as an EPA Certified Firm, must assume that any home built before 1978 contains lead-based paint, unless we test the house for lead-based paint and the results indicate that the house does not contain lead-based paint.
Lead is known to cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk from exposure lead-based paint because they crawl on the floor and they put their hands and other items which can have lead-based paint dust on them into their mouths. Because their bodies are still growing, children tend to absorb more lead than adults.
Children exposed to lead can suffer from:
- Lowered IQ
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Learning and behavioral difficulties
- Slowed growth
- Hearing problems
- Headaches
Adults can suffer from:
- Reproductive problems (in both men and women)
- High blood pressure and hypertension
- Nerve disorders
- Memory and concentration problems
- Muscle and joint pain
How is lead-based dust created?
Any activity involving surface preparation, such as hand-scraping and sanding can generate lead dust.
Why is lead-based dust hazardous?
It’s hazardous to children.
It can damage their brain and central nervous system; can cause decreased intelligence, reading and learning difficulties, behavioral problems and hyperactivity. It’s hazardous to pregnant women.
Lead paint is passed from the mother to the fetus and can cause miscarriages, premature births and low birth weight.
And it’s hazardous to everyone in the house, and our workers.
Health effects of lead in adults include high blood pressure, nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems along with muscle and joint disorder.
Don’t use your child as a lead detector!
Children can swallow lead dust as they eat, play and do other normal hand to mouth activities.
For more information on this topic go to www.epa.gov/lead/
Our Top Lead-Based Projects:
The Glebe House - New Castle, Delaware
The Glebe House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was built between 1821 and 1833. The Glebe House as it stands today was part of The Glebe Farm and was used as The Rector’s House for Immanuel Church in Old New Castle.
We were contacted by the new Glebe House owners who recently bought the house from the church, to discuss the exterior of the house. The exterior paint on all the trim was in poor shape and the windows needed extensive restoration. After testing positive for lead-based paint we put a complete plan together to completely repaint and restore all the trim and windows on this house using lead-based paint safe practices.
This project was completed in late 2010 with great success.
This Old House Restoration - Wilmington, Delaware
The Homeowners of this old house outside Wilmington, DE loved their house along with the old style wood siding on the exterior of the house, but couldn’t keep paint from peeling off the siding after each repaint. They called us to see if there was anything we could do to help with this peeling paint problem. After investigating their problem we determined that the best way to solve their problem was to remove all the paint off the exterior of the house and start over. After testing for lead-based paint it was determined that it was lead-based paint and that all lead-based safe work practices were to be in affect during all removal of paint.
We completed this project in mid-summer of 2011 and are very proud of our lead-based safety practices and the job itself.
The Window Restoration Project – Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware
The Homeowners on kentmere Parkway in Wilmington DE did not want to replace their metal casement windows with replacement windows and ruin the original look of the house. The windows were in terrible shape and needed to have all the paint removed to ensure that new top coats of paint would adhere. After testing for lead-based paint it was determined that the paint on the windows and all the trim had lead-based paint and that all the lead-based safe work practices were to be in affect during this project. This was quite a large house with three stories and 69 windows, 5 exterior doors, two porches and a lot of overhangs. This window restoration project was our largest yet and needed our full attention. We built a clean room in the garage for our workers and maintained strict lead-based safety procedures throughout this project. This project lasted several months and was very successful.
This project was completed in late fall of 2011 and the house looks great.