Lab Analysis Of Paint Needed To Reveal Lead

Q: I just purchased an older home built in the 1920s. I plan to remodel and wonder if the existing paint inside contains lead. How can I tell? And if it does contain lead, how do I get rid of it safely?

A: Since lead-based paint is a major source of lead poisoning for children and can also affect adults, it’s wise to determine before remodeling if it’s present in your home. No doubt many coats of paint have gone on the walls inside your home since its original construction in the 1920s. The only sure way to know is to have chips of the paint tested for lead. This is especially important if there are infants, children, pregnant women or adults with high blood pressure living in the home.

Eating paint chips is one way young children are exposed to lead. A more common exposure is ingesting and inhaling lead dust created as lead-based paint chips or peels from deteriorated surfaces. Lead dust can settle on floors, walls and furniture - a prime condition for children ingesting lead dust from hand-to-mouth contact. Settled dust can reenter the air through sweeping or vacuuming.

The majority of homes built before 1940, and about one-half of the homes built from 1940 to 1960 contain heavily-leaded paint. In 1977, the Consumer Protection Agency banned paint products for consumer use that contain lead in excess of 0.06 percent (trace amount). Indoor house paint manufactured since 1977 should not contain lead in excess of 0.06 percent.

Laboratories which can perform the analyses for lead can be found in the yellow pages.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recommends action to reduce exposure when the lead in paint is greater than 0.5 percent by lab testing. If the paint is firmly attached to the surface with no blistering, peeling or flaking, it may be best not to remove the paint.

Steps you can take to reduce exposure to lead-based paint include:

1. Replace painted items, such as doors.

2. Cover the lead-based paint. You can spray the surface with a sealant or cover it with gypsum wallboard. However, painting over lead-based paint is not a long-term solution.

3. Have the lead-based paint removed by trained professionals.

A factsheet titled “Removal of Lead-Based Paint in Homes” is available from the Office of Toxic Substances, Washington State Department of Health, P.O. Box 47825, Olympia, WA 98504-7825; (360) 586-5403.

Another helpful brochure is “A Guide to the Safe Removal of Lead-Based Paint.” It is available from the Spokane City/County Historic Preservation Office, W808 Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA 99201; 625-7983.

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The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, QUESTION & ANSWER - Homewise BYLINE = Amy Mickelson Washington State Energy Office Lee Benner contributed to the writing of this column.