From: oday@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com (Vicki O'Day)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Lead abatement
Date: 16 Oct 92 17:03:07 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Palo Alto,CA


I don't know about home lead test kits, but I know a little about more
expensive forms of lead abatement.  Our daughter's daycare center was
found to have peeling lead paint a year and a half ago, and we looked
into it thoroughly at the time.  (And we had the soil and sand at the
next daycare tested by a lab, though the director probably thought we
were being a bit extreme.)

Lead paint wasn't banned until 1973 in this country, though it was
recognized as a hazard to children at the end of the last century and
several other countries (such as the U.K.) banned it in the 1920's.
There was a 5-year phase-out period, so by 1978 no more lead paint was
sold here.

Lead paint was touted for its strength and lasting properties, so it
is most often found on door moldings and jambs, windowsills, window
frames, etc.  These are precisely the places where constant abrasion
occurs, and the paint dust that can gradually accumulate on
windowsills, for example, has been known to cause poisoning.  You
don't have to see peeling paint for there to be a hazard, though
that's certainly a good indicator.

Lead-free paint on top of lead paint does not solve the problem
permanently, though if all the layers of paint are in good condition,
you are considered better off leaving it alone unless you have lots of
money.  But if it's already peeling, painting on top isn't going to
help; it will just start peeling again soon, and the preparation for
painting (sanding and so on) would be extremely hazardous.

The best form of abatement for windowsills and other removable things
is to simply remove them.  This would still need to be done by a
qualified professional, and they'd have to be disposed of properly.
The next best thing is to cover up the hazard with a durable material,
so in some cases a thin new layer of drywall is added to walls and
ceilings.  The most expensive and most dangerous form of abatement is
removal of the paint itself.

There *are* real experts out there.  If you think you might have a big
problem, you might want to consult a Certified Industrial Hygienist
(see the Yellow Pages) to advise you about diagnosis.  People who
specialized in asbestos abatement in the 70's have begun to do lead
abatement as well - check them out in the phone book too.  The same
kinds of environmental protection and monitoring measures are needed
for both kinds of abatement.  Sometimes you'll find people listed
under a "lead abatement" category, but in our area there are more
qualified people than are found in that section of the phone book.

In California, Santa Clara County, Alameda County, and the State's
hazardous waste offices were all helpful in providing things for us to
read and some advice on the kind of people who could help us fix the
problem, though they couldn't recommend specific contractors.

If you're concerned about whether your child already has been exposed
to too much lead, you can have his or her blood levels tested.  Most
of us at the daycare center did this.  It's most useful to get an
exact reading (like "2.4"), rather than "under 10", since levels above
10 (I forget the units) are starting to get into the watch-out
category, and you'd like to know how close you are.  Different labs
seem to use processes with varying sensitivities, so some of us got
more exact readings than others.  Although lead is a completely
foreign element to the body, low levels are inevitable because of
various environmental factors we are all exposed to.  2 or 3 is a good
reading.

Good luck -

Vicki O'Day
oday@hpl.hp.com