Before 1970, many Australian houses had paints that were made with high levels of lead. Lead exposure is dangerous for health. Even a small amount of dust or chips from paint that has lead in it, formed when doing minor home repairs, can be risky to health.
People who are painting their house or doing work that could disturb paint with lead in it need to make sure they and their families, neighbors, or pets don’t get exposed to its dangers.
The allowed quantity of lead in household paint, before 1965 was at 50%. It was reduced to 1% in the same year. And then it went down again in 1992, reaching a limit of just one quarter percent or .25%. Finally, by 1997, this amount was lowered more and set to be only one-tenth percent or .1%.
Harmful Effects of Lead in House Paint
Lead in-house paint is a concern when it’s broken or interfered with. Paint that remains intact and isn’t peeling off, turning into powder, or covered by good quality lead-free paint isn’t hazardous on its own.
Lead can also become a danger when it is present on surfaces that receive friction or impact, like windows and doors, or even railings where children might chew on them. Big amounts of lead discovered in garden soils from older residential places are possible because there’s leftover residue from paint containing lead-based elements.
Paint that contains lead is most often discovered on window frames, doors, skirting boards, and cupboards in the kitchen and bathroom as well as outside walls, gutters and metal surfaces like fascias. It could also exist within interior walls or ceilings along with areas having enamel paint applied onto them. If you encounter pink or red primer it’s important to remember these have lead content so try avoiding disruption to any surface where this type of painting has occurred previously.
Are You At Risk Of Suffering From Lead Paint?
Workers who renovate their own homes, especially those built before 1978, can accidentally take lead risks. If they are not careful with old paint during the work process, harmful lead dust and paint pieces might stay inside the house or in garden soil even after years from when it was done.
Other people who are at an increased risk of lead poisoning are children who put their hands to mouths frequently, pregnant women, unborn babies, and breastfeeding mothers.
Stick around till the end of this blog if you want professional local painters to help you manage lead paint risks.
How to Manage Lead Paint Risks
If you have acute or chronic lead poisoning then you must have the following symptoms:
- Muscle pains
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Impaired growth
- Fertility issues
And much more.
Here are a few handy tips to help you manage the risks that come with lead paint:
1. Conduct Research About Lead Safety & Test Your Walls
It is highly recommended that you get testing and analysis from professionals to ensure accurate results and know if your paint contains lead.
2. DON’T Chip, Scrape, or Sand Lead Paint
For the lead paint surface that needs to be painted over, it’s very crucial not to disturb the paint already there. Any kind of sanding, scraping, chipping or other rubbing against a lead paint surface might let out tiny bits of lead dust into the air. So, just clean the existing surface with a warm wet towel to get it ready to be painted on top of it.
If the paint chips or deteriorates a lot, you may decide to hire professionals for removing lead-based paint.
3. DO Take Safety Precautions
Putting drop cloths and sticking them to the floor using painter’s tape is a smart move, as well as wearing gloves, protective clothes, goggles, face shields, and/or foot coverings.
Use a High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter (HEPA) to sift out any lead dust from the air you’re working in.
4. DON’T Spread or Carry Dust Away From the Worksite
Remove any gloves or safety equipment you have been using and throw them away. After that, wash your clothes right away so you do not carry lead-containing things to other parts of the home. Also, get rid of drop cloths, tape, or other items that were used during painting over lead paint. For extra debris, call your waste disposal company which handles residential waste.
Conclusion
For comprehensive solutions to managing lead paint risks in interior painting projects, explore our Commercial Painting Services in Minneapolis. Visit our website to learn more and get in touch with us today.
