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 | There was lead solder at the kitchen water pipes, and the point-of-use water filter was not removing particulates. Since lead is a particulate, it wasn't removing dissolved lead either. The homeowners bought bottled water until they could install a reverse osmosis unit. |
| The oversized windows in this house from the early 1900s tested positive for lead paint. The windows had to be replaced. |
| The wood between the windows and the storm windows tested positive for lead. The home owners opted to have the lead paint removed from the outside. |
| They shut the interior windows and the lead abatement contractor did his work from the exterior. A Nilfisk vacuum cleaner was used to clean out the sill area. |
| In another case history, the physician ordered a routine hair analysis for his young daughter and was surprised to find elevated levels of lead. He tracked the source to an imported painted toy. |
| Long ago, the family received a free drinking glass every time they filled the gas tank at the local service station. The football imprints on the glasses tested positive for lead. |
| At another house, a glass with Mickey Mouse on it tested positive for lead. |
| About 40% of the inside of the house had a stuccoed look, covered with a cream-colored paint. The paint tested positive for lead. The new buyers could either paint over the old paint or call in a licensed lead abatement contractor to remove the stucco - an expensive job. |
| There were flakes of paint in the soil around the foundation, due to deteriorated exterior paint. A licensed lead abatement contractor should be called to prepare the exterior of the house for repainting. The soil next to the foundation could be replaced. |
| The imported pottery tested positive for the presence of lead. |
| Tomatoes were planted around the foundation wall. If lead paint was used on exterior walls, there could be lead dust in the soil. No edible plants should be planted next to the foundation. Tomatoes especially absorb lead. |
| A child living in a city tested positive for lead though no source could be found in the apartment. The two prime suspects were probable contamination of soil at the playground and a nearby elevated highway. This family moved out of the city. |
| The two-year old twins were hyperactive, and one had cancer. They lived in substandard housing, with peeling lead paint. Both tested positive for lead toxicity. |
| Acid rain is causing elemental mercury - which is similar to lead in its health effects - to be leached out of rocks in reservoirs. The Neversink Reservoir, one of several supplying New York City, has elevated rates of mercury, considered within "safe" limits. If a water purifier removes dissolved lead, it also removes dissolved mercury. Return to Lead Testing |
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© 2001 May E. Dooley -
Enviro Health Environmental Home Inspections |
