Lead Paint

(c) 2001 Jim Morrison

Lead has been added to paints since at least the early 1700’s. The use of lead based paints on the interior of residential homes was banned in 1955, and its residential use was banned altogether in 1978. Many houses built before that time contain at least some lead paint. How much lead paint is in a house varies widely, and no one can tell by looking.

In Massachusetts, if there is a child under the age of six years old living in a house where there is lead paint on chewable surfaces below five feet, or peeling lead paint, then the owner is in violation of the law. Children have their blood tested each year for lead and if they test positive, only then is that law enforced and the owner of the home can be forced to delead before the child can return to the house. In 1998, 5.9% of Massachusetts’ children who were tested had more than 10 milliliters of lead per deciliter of blood (the US CDC standard).

Commonly heard advice regarding lead paint is: “Just don’t let your kids chew on the woodwork.” This uninformed refrain is partly responsible for the continuing poisoning of children, even today. The fact is: children don’t chew wooden moldings. As a home inspector (not a licensed lead inspector), I have inspected approximately 4000 houses in my career to date and have never seen teethmarks on woodwork. That’s just not how kids ingest lead. The most common ways in a house are:

1) Peeling paint. When paint chips (or anything else for that matter) fall to the floor, toddlers will pick them up and put them in their mouth.

2) Renovations can create a lot of dust, and none of it is healthy, but the effects of lead dust on the nervous systems of children and adults can be devastating.

3) Opening windows covered with lead paint rubs one window against another and the resulting dust contains dust. This dust collects in window wells and can be blown into the house when the windows are open.

4) Lead from lead water mains and other plumbing fixtures. There are fewer and fewer of these old pipes and fixtures around, but they’re still out there. Your main water pipe typically enters your house through the front foundation wall. If that pipe is old, gray, and you can scratch it with your fingernail, it’s a lead pipe and it should be replaced. Not only will you improve the water quality, but water flow will probably improve dramatically as well. Brass pipes can contain as much as 80% lead, and lead was also added to the solder used to connect sections of copper pipes until relatively recently. To find out if your water has high levels of lead, have it tested by a lab (there are plenty in the phone book), its cheap.

As of February 4, 2000, after completing a one day training class, homeowners are now able to de-lead their own properties and obtain lead paint abatement compliance certificates without hiring licensed professional deleading contractors. This can save homeowners thousands of dollars since they can now scrape a limited amount of loose and unstable lead paint, apply an encapsulant according to strict guidelines, and replace windows, trim, and siding covered with lead paint as well. This, coupled with the current State income tax credit for the first $1500.00 of the cost of deleading, makes it easier than ever to make your home lead safe. In fact there are many financial assistance programs available to assist homeowners with the cost of deleading their homes. For more information, call the State Lead Program at 1 800 532 9571.

Several cities nationwide and the state of Rhode Island have filed class action lawsuits against manufacturers of lead based paint. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has said publicly that it is watching those lawsuits carefully, but currently has no plans to join it.

Having your home tested for lead paint will generally cost several hundred dollars, but it is well worth the investment to protect you and your family from exposure to this environmental hazard. To learn more about lead paint, contact local expert Jim Walsh at 617.598.1177, or visit his website.

Jim Morrison
978.851.6315
Morrison Home Inspections
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