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Quick Guide to Lead Exposure Hazards On & In Buildings InspectAPedia®  -     Sources of lead contamination in and on buildings How to reduce lead hazards in buildings Key strategies for Improving indoor air quality Removing or keeping out indoor contaminants Home ventilation strategies Best methods for cleaning & filtering indoor air

Here we discuss simple steps to reduce the hazard of lead exposure in homes. This article includes excerpts or adaptations from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Our page top photo shows lead paint in poor condition on painted wood trim in a home. Paint in this condition is a particular hazard to children but it is also dangerous to home remodelers who may remove or strip lead paint if proper precautions are not taken. See LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE for our full list of environmental hazard identification and remedy related to lead in or on buildings.

© Copyright 2010 Daniel Friedman, Steve Bliss, Wiley & Sons, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Quick & Simple Guide to Lead Exposure Hazards Indoors

As reported in Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction:

Lead: the No. 1 Environmental Threat to Children: In 1991, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human services called lead “the number-one environmental threat to the health of children in the United States.” The leading source of lead exposure today is old lead-based paint in homes built before 1960, although homes built until 1978 may also contain lead paint.

Other sources include contaminated soil and drinking water that runs through old lead piping. Hobby activities, such as soldering and stained- glass making, can also introduce lead into the home.

Where two painted surfaces abrade, such as door and window frames, lead dust can be released and later ingested by children. High-level exposures leading to acute illness can be created when lead-based paint is removed by sanding, scraping, or open-flame burning.

The soil around old houses can also contain high levels of lead from paint scrapings over the years, and the soil around highways can have high levels from leaded gasoline. Playing in contaminated soil can be a threat to children, and contaminated soil can also be tracked into homes, contributing significantly to indoor levels.

Health Effects of Lead Exposure

Our photo (left) shows an antique food serving platter that contains high levels of lead. At LEAD TEST KIT for HOME USE we discuss how an item like this can be tested for lead at low cost. Best Practices continues:

Lead affects most systems of the body. Even at low levels, harm to fetuses and young children can be significant. Blood lead levels as low as 10 micrograms per deciliter can impair mental and physical development, leading to lower IQ levels, shortened attention spans, and increased behavioral problems.

Lead is more easily absorbed into the bodies of fetuses, infants, and children, and they are more sensitive to the damaging effects. Also, children often have higher exposures, since they are more likely to get lead dust on their hands and then put their fingers or other lead-contaminated objects into their mouths.

Acute exposures to high levels of lead generated from remodeling activities can cause adverse health effects on the central nervous system, kidney, and blood cells. At very high levels (above 80 micrograms per deciliter of blood), lead can cause convulsions, coma, and even death.

Guide to Reducing Exposure to Lead Hazards Indoors and in Drinking Water

Our photo (left) shows the characteristic "wipe joint" that can help identify lead water supply piping at a building. Continuing from from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction:

Since lead paint is the leading cause of exposure, preventive measures focus on keeping paint in good condition and cleaning up any lead- containing dust before children are exposed.

In older homes with lead paint, experts recommend mopping floors and wiping window ledges and other smooth flat areas with damp cloths frequently, keeping children away from areas where paint is chipped, peeling, or chalking and preventing children from chewing on window sills and other painted areas.

Also, ensure that toys are cleaned frequently and hands are washed before meals. If the paint is in poor condition, it should be removed by a licensed lead- abatement professional. Recommendations include:

• Keep areas where children play as dust-free and clean as possible.
• Leave lead-based paint undisturbed if it is in good condition; do not sand, scrape, or burn off paint that may contain lead.
• If the paint needs to be removed, hire a licensed professional with training in lead abatement.
• Do not bring contaminated soil or lead dust into the home.
• If your work or hobby exposes you to lead, change clothes and use doormats before entering your home. Demolition and work along roads and highways are examples.
• Eat a balanced diet, rich in calcium and iron. A child who eats enough iron and calcium will absorb less lead.
• See LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE for details about toxic lead sources in buildings, on building materials and paints, and from other sources
• See LEAD CONTAMINATION HAZARDS in the HOME for an extensive list of in-home lead hazards
• See LEAD IN DRINKING WATER, HOW to REDUCE for advice about testing for lead in drinking water
• See LEAD TEST KIT for HOME USE for our field test of a home test kit for lead contamination on building surfaces

-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.

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Technical Reviewers & References

• InspectAPedia.com^® - Daniel Friedman
• Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com.
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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS GUIDE
AIR POLLUTANTS, COMMON INDOOR
ALLERGEN TESTS for BUILDINGS
ALLERGENS in BUILDINGS, RECOGNIZING
ALLERGY TESTS for PEOPLE
ALLERGY TEST ACCURACY
FLOODS IN BUILDINGS-priorities
MOLD: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MOLD
INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS
INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE
  INDOOR AIR HAZARDS TABLE
INDOOR AIR QUALITY METHODS COMPARED
LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE
  Lead levels in blood
  How lead enters the body
  Sources of Lead
  Lead Based Paint
  Lead Paint Surveys
  Lead Plumbing Lead in Water
  Lead Toys, Jewelry
  Report on the National Survey of Lead-Based Paint
  Lead in Air - U.S. Lead Emissions Standards
LEAD CONTAMINATION HAZARDS in the HOME
  Protect Your Family from Lead
  Lead in Homes Before 1978
  Lead Hazard Warnings
  Lead in the Body
  Lead's Effects on People
  Extreme Lead Poisoning Symptoms, Effects
  Testing Your Family for Lead
  Lead-Based Paint Uses in Buildings
  Lead paint hazard spots in buildings
  Checking Your Home for Lead
  What You Can Do about Lead in the Home
  Remodeling & Lead Hazards
  Other Lead Sources
  Help Numbers for Lead Poisoning
  Government Contacts for Lead Info
LEAD CONTAMINATION in WATER, HOW to TEST
  Lead Contamination from Water Lines
  Lead in Water, Health Risks
  Lead Contamination Limits in Drinking Water
  Lead Test Results Affected by Test Methods
Lead Exposure Hazards Indoors
LEAD HAZARDS & FEAR: Enviro-Scare
LEAD IN DRINKING WATER, HOW to REDUCE
  Lead in Drinking Water
  Health Effects of Lead
  Lead in Drinking Water
  Steps You Can Take
  Tests for Lead Contamination in Water
LEAD TEST KIT for HOME USE
LEAD WATER PIPING HAZARDS & REMEDIES
  Allowable Lead Levels in Water
  Lead Level vs. Test Methods
MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT MOLD
ODORS, Smells, Gases in Buildings-Diagnosis & Cure
RENTERS & TENANTS GUIDE TO MOLD
SEWAGE BACKUP TEST & CLEANUP
STAIN DIAGNOSIS
TECHNICAL & LAB PROCEDURES
THERMAL TRACKING

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Wiley.com and also at Amazon.com. See our book review of this publication

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