Lead

Lead in paints, dusts and soils in and around your home can be dangerous if not managed properly. If your home was built before 1978, it is more likely to have lead based paints. Lead paint is still present in millions of homes, sometimes under layers of newer paint. If the paint is in good shape, it is usually not a major concern. Deteriorating lead-based paint (peeling, chipping, chalking, cracking, damaged, or damp) is a hazard and needs immediate attention. Lead based paints are also more hazardous when they are on surfaces that children may chew on, or that get a lot of wear and tear, such as: window sills, doors and door frames, stairs, railings, banisters and porches.

In homes built in or before 1978, a lead professional, such as Sasquatch Property Services LLC should provide a consultation, testing, inspection and/or risk assessment prior to any renovation, repair or painting activities. Such activities can create toxic lead dust when painted surfaces are disturbed or demolished.

Soil, yards and playgrounds can become contaminated when exterior lead-based paint from houses or buildings flakes or peels and gets into the soil. This is especially common in urban areas where older nearby homes may have deferred maintenance, have been demolished or have burned. Soil may also have become contaminated from past use of leaded gasoline in cars, from industrial sources, or even from contaminated sites, including former lead smelters. Lead also naturally occurs and can be found in high concentrations in some areas.

Lead in soil can be ingested as a result of hand-to-mouth activities common for young children and from eating vegetables that may have taken up lead from soil in the garden. Lead in soil may also be inhaled if resuspended in the air or tracked into your house thereby spreading the contamination. Older playground equipment can still contain old lead-based paint, and artificial turf and playground surfaces made from shredded rubber can contain lead. Take precautions to ensure young children do not eat shredded rubber or put their hands in their mouth before washing them.

Lead in household dust results from indoor sources such as old lead-based paint on surfaces that are frequently in motion or bump or rub together such as window frames, deteriorating old lead-based paint on any surface, home repair activities, tracking lead-contaminated soil from the outdoors into the indoor environment, or even from lead dust on clothing worn at a job site.

Even in well-maintained homes, lead dust can form when lead-based paint is scraped, sanded or heated during home repair activities. Lead paint chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that people touch. Settled lead dust can re-enter the air when the home is vacuumed or swept, or when people walk through it.

Why should I have my home inspected or assessed for risks?

Your child has been diagnosed as having lead poisoning. The most common home-based source of lead exposure is deteriorating lead-based paint and the resulting dust.
You live in a home built before 1978 where small children are or will be living.
You are about to remodel or do anything that will disturb lead-based paint or generate lead-based paint dust and chips that can harm you and your family.
You are renting or buying a home. When buying a home, federal law allows the purchaser the opportunity to conduct testing to determine whether lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards are present. This is especially important if you have (or plan to have) young children in the home.
You are concerned about possible lead exposure to you, your family, visitors and pets.

Lead Testing: May consist of bulk sampling, wipe sampling, soil sampling or other methods to collect sample(s) from specific areas of concern, for lab analysis and results reporting.

Lead Inspection: A surface by surface investigation to determine whether there is lead based paint in a home or facility and where it is located. It is particularly helpful in determining whether lead-based paint is present prior to purchasing, renting, or renovating a home, and identifying potential sources of lead exposure at any time.

Lead Risk Assessment: A risk assessment is an on-site investigation to determine the presence, type, severity, and location of lead-based paint hazards (including lead hazards in paint, dust and soil) and provides suggested ways to control them. Risk assessments can be legally performed only by certified risk assessors. Lead-based paint risk assessments are particularly helpful in determining sources of current exposure and in designing possible solutions.

Lead Safe Renovations: EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) requires that firms performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and pre-schools built before 1978, be certified by EPA (or an EPA-authorized state) and use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers and follow lead-safe work practices.

To discuss potential lead hazards in your home, or building, or to request lead testing/inspection services. Call us today!! Sasquatch Properties, LLC 248-245-3003