There are dozens of neighborhoods in Philadelphia which, when built back in the early to mid 1900 s where painted inside with lead-based paint. This is a well-known fact by now which is well documented with many horror stories recently of children stricken with lead poisoning. There’s something you should know about lead poisoning even if your dwelling has been tested and certified lead-free.
How Can Lead Dust Get Into Your Lead-Free Home?
Lead dust can actually enter your home through open windows. How can this happen? Lead abatement (the removal of lead paint in a dwelling) is fairly expensive. The reason it’s expensive is because it’s hazardous and therefore it’s a regulated profession which requires special licensing and certification. The disposal of lead laden waste also bears a greater expense than just tossing the waste into the trash can.
The short video below demonstrates the extreme care it takes to do lead paint removal properly. However, some property owners and landlords aren’t so careful. (read on below the video)
Being an expensive endeavor, some property owners cut corners and don’t hire certified pros to remove lead paint. Without following proper practices and procedures,lead dust created by scraping lead paint off of walls, doors, and woodwork will become airborne and escape the work area through open doors and windows and also may be tracked out of the dwelling on the clothing and shoes of anyone who enters and exists the work site.
Contaminating Common Areas With Lead Dust
Common areas in apartment buildings and other multi-unit dwellings can easily be contaminated with lead dust of proper measures aren’t followed. If you know you’re living in a neighborhood or a building where you know lead paint was been used, and if you see renovations going on in a neighboring dwelling, you may want to find out if proper measures have been taken to mitigate any changes of disturbing painted surfaces and if the dwelling has been tested for lead.
What You Should Know About Lead-Safe Dwellings
A home or apartment which has been tested and determined to be lead-safe actually means it does, in fact, contain lead. However, it’s not chipping, flaking or otherwise creating hazardous lead dust. However, if the paint is disturbed by renovations, even as much as nailing a picture-hanging hook in a wall or door can activate lead dust which exists under several coats of paint.
There is no safe level if lead in the blood. You want to avoid breathing it or letting it into your mouth. Children 6 and under are particularly susceptible as it causes brain damage, and blood poisoning which can affect all organs of the body.
If you’re concerned about the presence of lead in your home, apartment, or investment property, call Bayhill Environmental. A certified lead inspection is not expensive and can be scheduled quickly. You can even get a price quote right over the phone.
We are a licensed Lead Paint and Environmental Inspection Service in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
