Can you spot the Lead In your Home?

 

Can you spot the lead in your Lake Arrowhead home?

 

As we progress in society, technology, and safety standards, our building practices have also changed.  Lead disclosures are not just another line to initial on your Lake Arrowhead escrow docs.  In the last several years lead has been linked to thousands of US deaths, behavioral issues, seizures, and/or other similar illnesses.  Prior to 1979, lead based materials were regularly employed in residential construction.  Lead is a toxic metal found in a wide array of building products, commercial buildings, and most importantly, in our own Lake Arrowhead homes.  Similar to reasons Asbestos was widely used in construction, lead was also used for it’s  increased strength, pliability, and durability.  When lead is introduced into the body through drinking water, food, or as an inhalant, it can devastate a persons body and brain function.  In children as young as six years of age, lead has earned the honors of being responsible for; learning disabilities, physical development, coma, seizures, and even death.  Leads flexibility in paint formulas of the pre 1980′s,  is mimicked in the body today, with the ability to adversely affect every system within the human body.  Due to an easy absorption process in children, a majority of cases belong to hosts ages 0-7 years of age.

1978 marked the year in which the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lowered the legal lead content in most paint products to 0.06%. The commission also banned paint or any other substance used as a surface coating for children’s toys or other similar items used by children.  Homes built prior to 1978 are likely to have lead based products found within them. If these materials are disturbed, such as during remodels, paint preparation, etc, the toxic material can be inhaled or mix with other digestible materials.

The most common incidents of lead exposure.

1. Digested deteriorated finishes
2. Inhaling of contaminated soil and/or dust
3. Products employed by children containing lead.
4. Consumption of foods containing high levels of lead, such as: balsamic vinegar, juices, lipstick, canned fruit cocktails, etc.

Where should you expect to find lead in your home?

• Any painted or finished surface.
• Loose soils surrounding the perimeter of your homes foundation.
• Household dust.
• High traffic locations, near freeways, major highways and streets, etc
• Contaminated water supply
• Lead based food and beverage containers
• Porcelain tile at kitchen and bathroom counter and floor tiles
• Loosely regulated imported items

Steps to protect yourself

• Scrape loose or damaged painted and stained materials, while your work area is contained and/or isolated from occupied areas of your home. This preventive measure helps from contaminating other portions of the interior space.  When handling potential environmental hazards, personal protective equipment or PPE must be employed.
• Dust regularly. When handling potential environmental hazards, personal protective equipment or PPE must be employed.
• Good house keeping practices. When handling potential environmental hazards, personal protective equipment or PPE must be employed.
• To minimize the absorption rate of lead, consume the suggested levels of iron and calcium supplements, as directed by your physician.
• Be aware of food storage methods, avoiding products containing lead.
• Reduce or eliminate the consumption of aged and often expensive balsamic vinegar.
• Hire qualified and licensed lead safe contractors to handle all lead based material removal.  

 

Lead Dust:

 

Since lead has to be ingested, dust containing lead is the most typical method a person will be exposed to lead poisoning.  Simply touching lead will not affect a persons health in normal conditions.  Hanging pictures, bumping the wall in passing, etc, creates and releases into the air, lead contaminated dust particles.  The dust settles on children’s toys, furniture, etc, creating a serious health risk. I have two four year old boys who have to turn every toy into a tool ready for battle, and will often grab whatever, from where ever and give it a quick taste test.  This in mind its not hard to imagine how easy your own children can be adversely affected by normal every day activities, which create common household dust.  During inspections I often make it a point to discuss lead paint and the impact it can have on the occupants health.  I’m often met with arguments pointing out how the home has bee repainted and lead paint is not an issue.  Believing that argument is a mixture of ignorance and plain naivety.  When you hit a nail into a wall, or screw a screw, or the door handle creates a hole in the bedroom wall, every layer of paint is exposed, now friable, and potentially a health risk.  Often new paint jobs will flake and when they do they flake at the weakest layer of paint, which is also often the oldest layer. This layer is the lead based layer of paint.  These loose flakes can be consumed by young children, creating a host of health issues and development disabilities. 

 

In your own plumbing system!

 

Water supply lines were secured with lead based solder all the way up to the mid 80′s. The lead solder absorbs easily into drinking water, contaminating it and creating a health hazard.  If your not sure if your pipes contain lead solder, be safe and run the water into the drain prior to consuming.  This practice will discharge contaminated standing water into the drains rather than into your body.  

 

Time for a countertop upgrade!

 

Countertops and flooring often harbor a great deal of lead found within homes built before 1978. Chips and damaged areas should be addressed properly and immediately.   Placing food and other absorbent products directly onto these types of surfaces is not recommended and can also lead to exposure and poisoning.  

 

CRI offers lead inspections from Los Angeles to Chula Vista, CRI Inspection Services of Lake Arrowhead is an established inspection firm.  CRI of Lake Arrowhead proves to be the most qualified home inspection organization in it’s region.  Over the last sixteen years CRI Home Inspection Services has successfully completed thousands of home and commercial inspection projects.  CRI home inspection of Lake Arrowhead provides the highest level of customer service, which begins before the inspection begins, during the inspection process, and far into the future. CRI Home inspections of Lake Arrowhead strongly believes once you have chosen to be our client, you will always be a client and a apart of our inspection family.  Lake Arrowhead Home Inspection clients often will call me years after the completion of a contracted home inspection, to ask for advice on a array of construction related issues. This behavior highlights the level of trust our clients have in CRI Home Inspections, to provide nothing but quality service and honest answers to our Lake Arrowhead community.

CRI Home Inspections provides our clients with exact measurements, locations, and necessary abatement techniques needed to safely traverse the remediation process, while keeping families and coworkers safe.  Certified Residential Inspections of Lake Arrowhead employs a Niton Spectrum Inspection device to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Following our inspection CRI Home Inspections of Lake Arrowhead, provides a detailed Home Inspection report, with high definition photos, outlining locations, techniques, and potential costs of abatement.  Following the report CRI is available for you and your contractors to work through our findings and the abatement process.

As a licensed General Contractor in the State of California and a former construction superintendent of over fourteen years, CRI has the resources and connections to provide quality referrals in every trade.

 

Call now and speak with me direct! 951-751-5360

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