Posts Tagged ‘epa’

LEAD PAINT MAKES YOU STUPID

April 22 deadline approaching for lead certification

April 22 deadline approaching for lead certification
Beginning next month, federal law will require contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb paint in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 must be certified in the new EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule and follow specific work practices to reduce human exposures to lead.

Read more on Logan Herald-Observer & Woodbine Twiner

Lead paint?

What are some of the risks of lead in paint and why is lead used in paints?

Lead Paint Poisoning – A Chronic Health Issue

Many children have suffered lead poisoning. Find out the symptoms and complications and how you can go about getting compensation if your child has suffered lead paint poisoning.

Despite implementation of regulatory preventative measures, lead poisoning remains a chronic health issue, particularly for children. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 310,000 children have elevated lead levels. The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Agency approximates one in 6 children has a high lead level in their blood.

Children are vulnerable to lead poisoning as their absorption rate is much higher than adults. Gastrointestinal absorption in children is 40 to 50 percent, versus 3 to 10 percent in adults.

Chronic lead paint poisoning is cumulative over a long period of time. Toxic concentration may occur after many years of a minimal degree of exposure to lead paint. Chronic lead poisoning is the most common form. Acute lead poisoning infrequently occurs due to the large amount of lead intake required over a relatively short period of time.

Lead paint was banned in 1978 after scientists discovered its harmful effects. However, low income children still tend to have higher susceptibility to lead paint poisoning. They typically reside in older homes or buildings that pre-date the prohibition of lead paint and whose building owners may not have deleaded their properties. Federal law requires states lead paint hazards known by sellers, landlords and realtors must be disclosed.

However, it is not necessary for children to live in a building containing lead paint to suffer poisoning. Regularly visiting a home which has lead paint or is in the process of being remodeled or deleaded poses a risk.

Lead paint becomes brittle over time and deteriorates. This disintegration produces lead dust, particularly around windowsills and door frames where friction is caused by the opening and closing of windows and doors. The dust settles on surfaces children come in contact with, such as floors and toys, and is transferred to their mouths by hands and toys.

Another factor in lead paint poisoning is chipping or peeling. A child who eats a chip the size of a thumbnail will have ingested enough lead to be life endangering.

Children suffering from lead paint poisoning may exhibit any of the following symptoms:

* Anemia
* Learning disabilities
* Hyperactivity
* Mental retardation
* Kidney malfunction
* Hearing Loss
* Headaches

Infants in utero exposed to lead may have the additional concerns of:

* Low birth weight
* Low gestational age
* Growth retardation
* Delayed sexual maturation in females.

A blood test is the only conclusive method to diagnose lead poisoning. For children at risk from lead paint poisoning, it is recommended blood tests be performed at six months of age. All other children should be tested at one and two years old. Testing is vital as the child may not demonstrate any symptoms of lead poisoning.

Some states have mandatory lead poisoning blood tests for children. The ages of testing may vary according to the state.

Lead Paint Is Very Toxic To The Human Body

Lead paint is a toxic substance that can cause serious illnesses and other problems in adults and children. Before the 80′s, it was not known that lead based paint caused health problems, so it was used then. However, now everyone knows how toxic it is, and it is no longer in use. However, when it was in use, it was responsible for many illnesses and even deaths in individuals, especially young children.

One of the ways that the presence of lead paint is discovered in children is through their elevated blood levels. When high blood levels are detected in children, their homes are usually tested for lead based paint.

If the toxic paint is found in the home, then the children must be removed to a safe location until the toxic paint is gone. If you are not sure if your house is safe from toxic paint, then it is best to get it tested.

There are licensed lead inspectors or risk assessors that can help you determine if your house is safe, and what you need to do if it is not. In many cases, the lead inspector can also search your home for asbestos fibers in your home, which is another highly toxic and environmentally unsafe substance to have in your home.

If you are not familiar with asbestos, then you should know that it was used in older homes as a way to prevent fires and other home disasters, since it is flame resistant and does not conduct electricity. Unfortunately, it was later found to be highly toxic to the human body, causing cancer, asbestosis and other such issues. Many lead based paint specialists can also deal with an asbestos problem.

The main indicator that determines lead exposure is through elevated blood levels in the body. If a doctor detects a high blood level in a child, then he will probably suggest a lead paint test for the child’s home. If lead based paint is found, then the children must be removed from the premises until all the lead is removed.

If you think that you might have paint that contains lead in your home, then testing is a good idea. A licensed risk assessor can help determine if your house is safe from the toxic presence of lead. A risk assessor can also help determine if there are other toxic materials in your home as well, such as asbestos fibers.

Asbestos was used in older homes to reduce the risk of fire, as asbestos is flame retardant, and resists electricity. Later it was found that asbestos causes mesothelioma cancer and was discontinued from use.

Lead paint is a very toxic substance to the body. It causes serious illnesses, especially in children. Therefore, it is impossible to be too careful when dealing with lead based paint.

If you feel your house might be at risk, then you can call a risk assessor to test your indoor air quality to see if your home environment is safe. If not, he or she can tell you what you should do to eliminate the substance.

Stop Lead Paint Poisoning Documentary

A short documentary made to inform and warn the people about the dangers of lead paint poisoning. Filmed in Maryland.

House Painting Issues: Dealing With Lead Paint

While everyone would need house painting, there have been a few recent issues regarding it. One of the largest issues would probably be the use of lead paint and its effects on people. While paint has commonly thought to be harmless for a lot of people, the lead contained in it is the total opposite and sadly, it has been proven many times to be harmless.

Lead has become an issue not because it is an ingredient of paint. Lead has also been used in other materials such as toys and school supplies and with the same issues; lead has been known to poison a lot of people.

Although it can be a threat, you can avoid it easily. Lead can be everywhere but avoiding it is quite easy to manage.

What Is Lead Poisoning?

In the interior of buildings that are much older as well as in other details such as the doors, ceilings, cabinets and doors, lead has been used until it was banned in 1978 since it has been proven to cause several sicknesses in children and also in adults. Dealing with this problem can be very costly that some owners who do not care much would not deal with the problem at all, thus causing a threat to all the people who would be exposed to the surfaces that are painted with lead paint.

According to a study, exposure of people to lead paint can cause several mental and physical disorders than can prove destructive as it develops. For pregnant women, exposure to lead can cause abnormal development of the fetus. Lead poisoning can cause a lot ranging from kidney problems in children or in adults to an increase in blood pressure.

What Can You Do?

In most cases, people would try to remove the cause by scraping off the harmful layer of paint and applying a new layer. While this would be the easiest way, you should never try to do this. Scraping off the layer off could cause particles to go flying onto the air and those particles can poison anyone who would inhale it. Instead, try to cover the harmful layer with something like a wallboard or wallpaper and paint that layer.

For doors, cabinets and other small parts, it would be best to have them replaced entirely. You would not want to risk anything regarding health and for this, the safest way is to have the entire thing removed. While that may sound very costly, it pays to be sure of everyone’s welfare.

If You Don’t Want To Do It Yourself

With the threats imposed by these issues, you might not want to risk your own welfare and thus, have someone else to do the job for you. Fortunately, some people specialize in this. You can hire contractors that are certified to deal with issues regarding lead poisoning. These people already know what to do and can give you advice on how to maintain it and with that, you can already fix the issues without doing things yourself.

With the experience and capabilities of these people, hiring them could be the best option for you. While it may cost you something, you and other people who could be harmed are much safer if you have them do the job for you and with that, your health and everyone else’s health are worth much more than the extra cash you would have to pay if you have an expert to do it for you.

Lead paint in house painting may have cause a lot of issues but with ways to control them, there should not be too much.