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 | This is unfortunate. Not only is lead terribly toxic, but conventional vacuum cleaners
typically recycle lead dust into the room air. | ||
| As of 1995, federal law states that individuals buying a house or renting an apartment must be notified that they have a right to have a pre-purchase lead inspection performed if they so desire. | ||
| Buyers and renters must be given a copy of a booklet titled, Protect Your Family From Lead in Your
Home. You can request a free copy from the National Lead Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-424-LEAD.
This booklet contains information on state certified inspectors and contractors.
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| From realtor feed-back, I have learned that very few buyers are having pre-purchase lead testing done, at least in the New York area, possibly because of the cost of the testing. Figures range from about $300-1,200, depending on how extensive the testing will be. | ||
| The XRF equipment recommended by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is very expensive (about $20,000), and there is a costly radioactive source which needs to be changed
periodically | ||
| The EPA recommends only XRF lead testing for pre-purchase decisions - because it tells you if there is lead in any layer of paint. You might not know if the layer is covered with five other coats of paint, however, because the XRF
might not specify which layer has lead. | ||
| "XRF" stands for "x-ray fluorescence" and is a method whereby x-rays from a radioactive source are "shot" against a wall. Depending on how many x-rays are reflected or absorbed, a computer can tell you whether lead is present in the paint on that wall. | ||
| In most cases, if lead paint is painted over, it is sealed in. The main concern is probably windowsills, because children might gnaw on them and ingest lead paint. The XRF device will tell you if there is lead paint on the
windowsills. Windows are also a concern if lead dust is released when the
windows are raised or lowered. |
| A different type of lead screening is performed by Enviro Health. It is more practical because it can determine which layers of paint contain lead. It can be used on a windowsill, too, by either checking at a chipped area or exposing all layers of paint with a knife. | ||||||||||||||||
| We use LeadCheck swabs which have been tested by Consumer Reports and found to be accurate. There is a quality control check included with the test kit to ensure accuracy of each swab. | ||||||||||||||||
| With LeadCheck, you will only know if the top layer is lead paint (unless there is a chip somewhere so you can access lower layers).
When screening someone else's home, you can't gouge out a piece of paint from their property to find out what is below the surface layer. | ||||||||||||||||
| It is good to know if lead paint is present if:
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| Lead paint has been outlawed since 1978 (but painters were allowed to use up their supplies). If a house has been repainted since 1978 or 1980, probably the surface layers are not lead paint. However, a rare painter may be still adding lead illegally to make
paint more durable.
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| If you are one of the apparent vast majority who is not planning to schedule a pre-purchase XRF evaluation, then DON'T DO NOTHING. Lead paint is still an important issue from a health perspective. |
| Buy yourself some LeadCheck swabs and do your own testing. Possibly the items of most concern are the windows. If older windows have been painted with lead paint, especially in the runners where there is friction, it is generally less costly to replace the windows than it is to remediate them and have the lead paint removed. |
| Chipped and peeling paint is another important issue, because preparing
such a surface for painting would involve scraping and release of lead dust.
A licensed lead contractor should be hired for that job. |
| If you test and get no color change, use the LeadCheck quality control test to double-check any negative results to ensure that the swab is working properly. Occasionally one may be a dud, though we have never found one. |
| If you decide to hire a firm to do XRF testing, keep your distance from the x-ray "gun." There is a radioactive source in the tip of the gun, and there is no need to expose yourself to ionizing radiation unnecessarily - especially pregnant women and children. |
| If you decide to move into a house or apartment that tested positive for lead, assume that there is lead dust around and take precautions. For more information,
please go to the Products/HEPA Vacuum section. Return to Lead Testing page |
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© 2001 May E. Dooley -
Enviro Health Environmental Home Inspections |
