Each has its pluses and minuses. Removing old paint solves the problem once and for all. But as Coluccio noted, the cure can be as bad as the original problem. He said scraping is feasible if you do things like misting your work area to minimize dust. The company says its new lead vacuum traps particles as small as 0.12 microns, instead of exhausting them back into the air as ordinary vacuum cleaners do.
Propane torches create lead fumes in the very process of taking off old paint.
However, Magna Industries claims to have skirted that hazard with its propane-powered infrared heat guns. They loosen up the paint film enough so that you can easily scrape it off, but they don't generate enough heat to oxidize the lead and create fumes, said Colleen Jones, a Magna sales and marketing executive. Chemical strippers come with the reputation of being messy and hazardous. Hy Dubin, president of Dumond Chemicals, said his company's stripper is an exception to the rule. The product, Peel-Away 1, is sprayed or trowelled on lead paint and then covered with a special fabric.