Paint And Dust Dangers

Paint on homes and the dust from these paints usually contain lead that is harmful to health of adults and children alike. When a pregnant woman comes in contact with such dust Paint Containing Lead, the child gets affected. Upon inhalation, the lead-containing paint or dust finds way into the body of the pregnant woman. Children have the habit of eating soil which might also expose them to the hazardous effect of lead.

Lead Facts

There are certain interesting facts about lead that one should be aware of. By now it is known thatLead Exposure is hazardous to babies who are not even born. It is also to be noted that healthy-looking children may be having high lead content in their bodies. We consider any paint that contains lead as hazardous to health. But there must be differentiation between the Lead-Based Paint in bad condition and good condition. The latter does not harm the health of people. There should be proper removal of lead-based paint as well as lead dust from homes otherwise the people might be at higher risk than before.

Sources Of Lead

The typical source of lead-based paint is an old house. The older the house, the more hazardous the lead-based paint would be. Lead is present everywhere though in varying amounts in the city and the suburbs, indoors and outdoors and apartments or public housings. Lead is present in the soil too. Lead in soil comes from paints or cars using leaded gas. Lead is common in household dust. Dust consumes the lead from lead-based paint used in the house. Lead can also be found in drinking water. This occurs when plumbing is done with a lead solder.

Lead cannot be removed by boiling the water. So, it is advised that you use cold water for cooking as well as drinking purposes. Exposure to lead is a common phenomenon at workplaces such as lead smelters. Make sure you take a shower and change clothes before coming home from the workplace. It should be ascertained that you do not store any food materials in a container made of lead such as lead crystal or porcelain. Azarcon, used as a medication for upset stomach, also contains lead.

How Lead Is Hazardous To Health

Lead is considered to be more hazardous to infants and children because of the fact children would absorb much more lead as compared to an adult. High level of lead can be deadly to children. Lead exposure in kids might lead to brain damage as well as damage to the nervous system. This is because the nervous system of a child is much more prone to lead’s health hazards as compared to an adult. Here are the major disorders that a child may be affected with owing to high lead levels in his/her body.

High level exposure to lead may cause hyperactivity including behavioral disorders and learning problems, slow rate of development, damaged nervous system, damaged brain, hearing impairment, headaches, low level of intelligence in the child, damage to kidney, reduction in growth of bones and growth of muscles, etc. Besides, lead exposure causes motor skills and language problems in the child. Distorted growth, problems with digestion and problems in reproductive system are some of the other problems associated with lead exposure.

On the other hand, the disorders caused by high level lead exposure in adults include hypertension, high blood pressure, nerve disorders, concentration problems and poor memory apart from the aforementioned reproductive problems and joint pains. When an adult person is exposed to high levels of lead dust and paint, he/she is prone to unconsciousness at times leading to seizures.

Lead Dust

Lead dust is found in furniture, floors as well as on the walls. Crawling infants are most likely to eat the lead dust. Lead dust cannot be removed totally through vacuuming as well. Vacuum stashes the dust away in another corner of your house.

Instead of using vacuum, using 5% phosphorus containing cleaning solution for moping the floor and wiping the surface may be helpful. Although doing this won’t remove the lead dust, it would definitely act as a shield against exposure to lead.

Removal Procedure

The first step towards safeguarding your health and your family’s health against the ill effects of lead is testing your home for lead paint. If it is found to be lead paint, try removing it. Mind that a dry scraper, propane torch, dry sandpaper, heat gun, etc. should not be used to remove the lead paint from the walls. This is because these materials would lead to the production of lead fumes and even after removal of the paint will stay back in the house.

Tests For Lead Exposure

If the lead level in the blood of your child increases at a fast rate when he/she is just 12 months old and even faster rate within the age group of 18 years to 24 years, then you should immediately consult a doctor.

Similarly, your home should be tested in the following two ways. A paint inspection would let you know what different levels of lead on the wall surface. However, a paint inspection is not to be considered as a test to check the toxicity of the paint. On the other hand, risk assessment explores the possible lead exposure sources in your house. Risk assessment will follow up the results with remedial actions.

Some of the tests used by trained professionals to check the hazard level in your house include XRF machine, lab tests for samples of paint, tests for surface dust and of course visual inspection. One can also go for home test kits available in the market.