Cindy Aplanalp Interiors.... By Design

As members of the GHBA, all of the employees of By Design Interiors are constantly provided opportunities for continued education, seminars and Q & A's about recent design/building techniques, current events, good business practices, and new laws and regulations.  Recently, the GHBA hosted a luncheon with a Q & A that largely focused on the new laws passed by the EPA about the presence of lead in residential spaces.  It might seem that lead based products have been out of the limelight for decades, but their presence and affects are still be felt today, especially in children.  

After participating in the Q & A, I realized the severity of this issue and the lack of knowledge most homeowners have about it.  With the help of builder/remodeler Jeff Hunt with Brothers Strong, I decided blog post needed to be written to help inform people that eating paint chips isn't really a good joke.

A simple question I posed to Jeff was, what brought this issue to light?

Jeff: "The EPA banned the use of lead in residential paint in 1978, but there are approximately 38 million homes in the US that were built prior to 1978. Lead has been show to cause health problems, particularly in children under the age of six, including behavioral problems and learning disabilities as well as seizures. The EPA ruling also covers “Child Occupied Facilities” such as day care centers and schools."

Now I don't want to be the cause for any concern, so please don't start freaking out!  With a little research, I discovered that the older a home is, the more likely it is to contain lead based products.  But! if the products containing lead are not being disturbed in any way, the dangers of lead based products are minimal.  The dangers of exposing yourself to lead arise during renovations and remodels; demolition and sanding create dust particles and it is the ingesting of these particles that pose health issues.

Despite the fact that ingesting paint chips has been a long time joke, the health affects are often quite severe.  Jeff informed me lead exposure can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, behavior and learning problems, reproductive problems, high blood pressure and hypertension, nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems.  

Now I'm not suggesting that everyone hire an EPA certified renovator to test for lead, but if you are planning on a upcoming renovation/remodel and your home might be built pre-1978, the process might be just a little longer but all for the health and wellbeing of everyone occupying the home.  

Here's what Jeff says about the removal process:

"Essentially the process has 3 components:

1.  Contain the work area – meaning seal completely with plastic.
2.  Minimize dust created by sanding or demolition activity through the use of vacuum attachments (with special filters) on power tools, wetting the surfaces down, etc.
3.  Clean the area thoroughly with HEPA filter equipped vacuum cleaners, mops or other damp cleaning tools, and dispose of all debris in a prescribed manner.

The work must be performed by an EPA Certified Firm and supervised by a Certified Renovator how has passed the EPA’s Lead Safe Practices training.

There are also stringent record keeping requirements in terms of documenting the practices and procedures followed. These have to be maintained for a period of 3 years following completion of a project. Penalties of up to $37,500 per DAY can be assessed against contractors who do not follow the rules prescribed by the EPA."

To get more information about the EPA's laws about the presence of lead, you can click here to read the EPA's brochure.