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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Effort targets lead paint


Bruce Ainslie of MCS Environmental tests the amount of lead  in the exterior paint of a North Spokane home earlier this month. 
 (KATE CLARK / The Spokesman-Review)

Lead paint has been in the headlines as the massive recall of toys containing the toxic substance continues.

But local residents may want to check more than just their children’s toy boxes.

The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978, but many homes built before then contain lead paint.

According to Paul Trautman, housing program administrator for the city of Spokane, “Eighty-two percent of Spokane homes were built before 1978, and 29 percent of total housing units were built before 1940. Pre-1940 homes are most likely to contain lead paint.”

West Central resident Becky Panagos knows this firsthand. When she had her 1927 bungalow tested for lead paint this spring, the results astonished her.

“All of my woodwork was lead – the stairways, the window sills,” she said. “There was lead on my concrete basement floor and even my bathroom walls. Two hundred fifty parts per million is allowable, but my windowsills had 12,000 parts per million.”

Lead paint commonly is found on windows, doors, door frames and stairs, railings and banisters. It was used both in interior and exterior paints and in some types of varnishes.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities to seizures and death. Children 6 years old and under are most at risk because their bodies are growing quickly.”

As old paint deteriorates, it chips and flakes. The particles are ground into dust that can be tracked throughout a home.

Hand-to-mouth contact can result in lead poisoning if children eat the paint chips or put their hands, coated with lead dust, in their mouths.

According to Trautman, “Last year, only two kids in Spokane County tested positive for lead poisoning.”

However, he said he is concerned because few children have had their blood evaluated for lead.

“Only 2 percent of kids under 6 were tested,” Trautman said.

The city launched Lead Safe Spokane in 2004. The federally funded grant program offers forgivable loans for lead-paint repairs, including window and door replacement, vinyl siding, and interior and exterior painting. It also provides free blood tests for children under age 6 and free paint testing for those who qualify.

In June, Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs introduced a similar program for residents of Spokane County.

Because of the heightened danger of lead exposure for young children, both programs require that applicants have a child 6 years old or younger living at the residence or visiting frequently. Rental property owners with tenants who meet the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s median income requirements and lease to families with children under age 6 also are eligible.

Kiemle & Hagood Co. administers the program for Spokane.

According to Shannon Meagher, director of community building for the company, “Lead paint was used in more expensive homes. It sticks really well and has a nice color sheen. It really lasts.”

But nothing lasts forever.

On a recent afternoon, Bruce Ainslie arrived at a vacant rental home in north Spokane to conduct a lead test. Ainslie is a project manager for MCS Environmental, the agency that performs lead testing for the city.

Flakes of white paint littered the bare dirt surrounding the foundation of the house. On the south side of the 1930 home, the paint had bubbled and chipped.

“This is the kind of house the program is designed for,” Ainslie said.

He placed a hand-held spectrometer, called an XRF machine, next to a window frame.

“The machine reads through all layers of paint to the original surface,” Ainslie said.

And it gives instant results. The XRF quickly emitted a double beep, meaning the paint had tested positive for lead.

As Ainslie worked his way around the house, the beeping continued.

“It’s all positive,” he said. “The good news is this property owner will get substantial help in getting a fresh coat of paint or vinyl siding.”

Ainslie said he can drive through many neighborhoods and see homes that have been painted or re-sided thanks to the Lead Safe Spokane program.

For Becky Panagos, the program enabled her to purchase new vinyl siding, new windows and a fresh coat of paint for the garage, among other necessary improvements.

“My home looks a lot different,” she said. “I don’t know what we would have done. I would have never been able to side my home.”

But more important, Panagos has peace of mind.

“It’s kind of scary when I think I raised my kids here,” she said.

Now, Panagos no longer worries when her grandchildren and nieces and nephews come to visit.

“I absolutely recommend folks get their homes tested,” she said.

Correspondent Cindy Hval can be reached at dchval@juno.com.