Although lead as a paint additive was banned nearly 30 years ago, many homes and constructions still exist that were built long before regulations went into effect. That means lead based paint is present in many schools, places of worship, government buildings, correctional facilities and more.

The problem with lead paint in buildings is that it can flake off and contaminate the surrounding air, water and even everyday objects used by both adults and children who use the space.

When it comes to lead, health professionals have a zero-tolerance policy: there is no safe level of lead that can be inhaled or ingested. And for good reason; lead has been directly attributed as the cause of myriad health problems, ranging from relatively moderate risks like headaches and anemia, to more serious threats like learning and developmental disabilities, brain swelling and even death.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a number of lead regulations to safeguard us against this toxic metal. One such regulation includes inspecting buildings that were built prior to 1978 for the presence of lead before any construction or renovation can take place.

So if you’re considering a renovation project or if you’re planning to tear down a structure to replace it with a new one, you’ll need to have the building inspected for lead first. And if it is found, you’ll need to take the proper steps so that it can be removed safely.

Safe Removal Begins With Awareness

When it comes to lead, there is more to be concerned about than its mere presence. In fact, an intact wall covered with lead paint is far less of a threat than one that is improperly removed. Doing so much as tapping a nail into the wall can release lead dust into the air where it can be inhaled, or eventually settle to contaminate other objects, food or water.

That’s why the methods used to remove lead paint are crucial. And why some ways of removing it can be more harmful and actually increase risk of lead exposure.

Understanding the risks and subsequently the training and certifications necessary to mitigate them so that you can hire the right professionals is an important part of the process.

Acceptable Removal Techniques

There are a number of ways to reduce or eliminate lead exposure; however, simply painting over an affected area is not enough. That may be a temporary stopgap but if paint chips, peels or is damaged, your facility is once again at risk.

‘Enclosure’ is the practice of containing an affected area by covering it with drywall, vinyl or another fire resistant material. While this can safely eliminate exposure in the short term, there is always the risk that the enclosure will be damaged or even require removal during a renovation, once again opening up your facility to risk of contamination.

‘Encapsulation’ involves coating the affected area with a special liquid that provides a long lasting and effective barrier against lead paint. Again, the problem arises during a renovation when the area becomes damaged or must be removed.

During a minor renovation you may consider replacing affected elements, especially if they are self-contained, such as doors or windows.

However, lead issues typically affect wider areas. That means removal is often the most viable option.

When removing lead paint or even elements affected by lead paint such as walls or other structural elements, there are several approved methods for doing so.

First, care should be taken not to stir up dust or fumes, which can result from knocking down walls, chipping paint off surfaces or sanding.

To accomplish this, the work area should be sealed off from its surroundings, including sealing heating or ventilation ducts, so that the lead cannot travel to contaminate other areas. Only one area should be worked on at a time to ensure appropriate sealing.

Properly trained lead inspectors and abatement professionals will understand the materials needed to enclose an area, the types of protective clothing that should be worn, appropriate respirators to use and will follow other safety controls such as avoiding eating, drinking or smoking in the work areas.

In addition, special care must be taken to avoid water seepage when removing lead paint. Some acceptable removal practices, including wire brushing or wet sanding, require the use of water to prevent dust and fumes. As a result, the water used in the process becomes contaminated and can run off into ground water or seep into other surfaces if it isn’t properly contained and removed.

When techniques such as wet sanding are used, HEPA filters and respirators are required.

Heat stripping is an acceptable technique that uses a low temperature (below 1100 degrees F) heat gun, followed by hand scraping. However, this can also generate lead dust and must be used with proper precautions.

Finally, lead-contaminated materials must be removed and disposed of properly so that they cannot be the source of further contamination.

Unacceptable Removal Techniques

Several techniques may remove lead paint but they are not approved for use and can result in more dangerous contamination than if the paint had not been disturbed.

These include open flame burning or torching, machine sanding without a HEPA attachment, sand blasting, paint chipping and power washing without the appropriate measures in place to trap water.

When it comes to proper disposal, waste water should never be dumped in the local area and bags containing contaminated materials should never be placed in regular dumpsters or trash.

Lead paint can pose health risks but lead paint that is improperly removed and disposed of can pose even greater risks. That’s why it’s imperative to find the right professionals and to understand the acceptable practices that will lead to its safe detection and removal.

Find A Certified And Trained Professional

Lead abatement is designed to permanently eliminate the hazards of lead in a particular space and requires specialized techniques and skills that general contractors typically don’t have. That means you will need an abatement and remediation professional to do the job properly.

The EPA requires training and certifications for professionals, which includes training in how to properly inspect for lead, how to remove it safely so that it does not contaminate the surroundings and how to properly dispose of toxic materials afterwards.

It specifically requires the person doing the inspection to be licensed as a lead inspector or risk assessor. In addition, both the company and the individual must be licensed.

The inspector certification is required for professionals who conduct investigations in facilities regulated under the EPA and HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), including housing, child occupied facilities, commercial and industrial facilities.

Inspectors are trained in sample collection and reporting, including use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and other material sampling. Certification requires both a written exam and practical exercises to demonstrate the professional’s ability.

If you have questions about lead remediation in your building or facility, contact us and we’ll be glad to speak with you.

Lead is a naturally occurring element found in the earth’s crust and one of the first metals used by humans. It is also one of the most dangerous and has been accountable for diseases ranging from high blood pressure to nerve disorders, mental problems and kidney damage.

It’s prevalence in everything from batteries to solder, fishing weights to ceramics made it a common companion in every day life and consequently, the cause of the first recorded occupational disease.

Its pervasiveness in household items from paint to toys meant that lead exposure and poisoning was common throughout human history, even dating as far back as the Roman Empire when it was used to sweeten wine. Some historians say that lead poisoning was responsible for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.

The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) states that there is “no safe level of lead in blood” and that when dealing with lead the best option is to eliminate it from living and working environments completely.

If lead is so dangerous, why then is it still used today?

Lead does have its benefits, and though they come at a high price, lead is often the best tool for some jobs. In paint it brightens some colors, it’s durable, fast drying and inexpensive compared to other types of paints. It resists mildew, which makes it great for wood surfaces or other surfaces likely to get wet. It’s anti-corrosive and sticks well with far less likelihood of flaking off. It also resists the color-dimming effects of ultraviolet light, which makes it perfect for painting those double yellow lines down the middle of the road.

All those reasons are why it’s still used in paints today, not only for roads and parking space dividers but also on bridges, tanks, heavy equipment and other large structures and projects.

Fortunately, it’s also controlled by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has enacted a number of regulations to limit the use of lead, reduce lead exposure and mitigate its harmful effects. Through lead inspection, risk assessment and controlled removal when it poses a threat, the EPA has made working and living conditions safer for all involved.

What Does Lead Regulation Mean To You?

Some states enact their own regulations but the state of New York defers to the EPA. That means if your building comes under scrutiny or if you’re undertaking a renovation project, you’ll be subject to the requirements of the EPA.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) specifies that before construction can begin on a renovation project, workers must understand their risks, including their potential exposure to lead.

This is particularly relevant to renovation projects in state facilities including prisons, correctional facilities, psychiatric facilities, armories, hospitals, office buildings and other facilities that tend to be older and more likely to contain lead paint and need renovations.

Even after a renovation project is completed and lead abatement work is done, a lead inspector is required to take dust samples to validate that the environment is safe and lead-free.

Practically speaking, that means you will need to hire a trained lead inspector and an independent EPA-certified abatement contractor. Not only must the individual person performing the lead inspection be licensed and trained but the company that the individual works for must also be licensed.

Since the burden of liability and safety falls on each property owner or manager individually, it pays to understand how regulation affects you and what to look for when it comes to risk assessment, inspection and abatement.

Know What To Look For In An Abatement Professional

Remember, in the state of New York an abatement professional must be EPA-certified, so inquiring about this is a good place to start. Both supervisors and workers must be certified and should use abatement methods sanctioned by state health codes.

Discuss a plan for lead abatement that includes how the work will be performed and what safety precautions will be put into place to prevent lead dust and debris from spreading.

Understanding the different methods of lead abatement can help.

Enclosure is the simplest process and means covering a dangerous element, like a wall covered in lead-based paint, with paneling, plasterboard, gypsum board or sheetrock. This is only effective if the renovation project will not disturb the element in question and if the element is strong enough to support the enclosure.

Encapsulation involves sealing a contaminated element to prevent exposure to the lead beneath. While this is the most cost-effective, it also tends to be the least effective at mitigating lead risk and it only works when an area won’t be disturbed or exposed to weather because the sealant can wear away over time.

Removal is exactly what it sounds like – removing an element such as a door or window that contains lead paint and replacing it with one that does not. This is necessary in larger scale renovation projects where entire buildings, sections of buildings or elements must be torn down, which will result in disturbing lead-painted surfaces and releasing lead dust into the air, soil and even groundwater.

Before you hire an abatement professional, discuss your options and the methods your contractor recommends. Some removal methods are explicitly prohibited by the EPA. Dry scraping and sanding lead paint, for example, are methods that should never be included in your abatement plan.

Removing lead paint with an open-flame gas torch is also prohibited, along with any grinding or sanding methods done without HEPA filtration.

If you know your lead abatement plan ahead of time, you can educate yourself and look for problem areas that should be addressed before work begins – or caution you against working with a particular vendor if safety requirements aren’t being met.

Know What To Look For In A Lead Inspector

As per EPA requirements, the company that you hire for lead inspection must be independent of the one you hire for abatement. Inquire before you begin inspections.

The inspector should also use a New York State-approved laboratory to analyze dust samples.

It may also help to understand how inspectors test for lead. One way to test is by taking chip samples of the paint from various surfaces in the room. This can be costly, time consuming and require numerous samples to ensure that no surface or part of a surface is overlooked. It is also the most invasive and can require extensive repairs after testing is completed.

A second method involves x-ray fluorescence (XRF) in which a handheld device is used to instantly determine whether a surface tests positive, negative or inconclusive for lead paint. In the case of an inconclusive result, a laboratory test would be required.

In the state of New York, lead inspection with XRF requires that the inspecting company hold a radioactive materials license.

Before you hire a lead inspector, discuss your options for inspections and ensure that your prospective vendor can explain the methods and reasons to you.

For A Smooth Renovation Project, Choose Vendors That Comply With Lead Regulations

Nobody knows who discovered lead but it’s been mined for well over 6,000 years. It has been used in everything from glassware to cosmetics and although its harmful effects have been recognized and documented for thousands of years, lead was not banned for consumer use until as late as the 1970s.

Since then, the EPA and various regulators have worked to protect the population from lead poisoning as a result of contaminated food, water, soil, household products and even air.

If you’re tackling a renovation project and your property was built or renovated prior to 1970, a lead inspection prior to renovation is the right place to start. If lead is discovered, a proper abatement plan can mitigate risks and a post-renovation inspection can ensure that the property is safely habitable.

A little bit of education when it comes to understanding risk and removal can help you choose the right team to assist and result in a safe and successful project.