Lead paint should i be worried

Now I am panicking a little as to whether I have ingested lead paint. Am I worrying for nothing? I'm assuming the skirting and door frames will have been painted over at least a couple of times in the last 20yrs with newer paint and I didn't sand really deep. For all I know they have previously been stripped down so no lead paint exists anymore anyway.

I am worried though. Any advice and opinions would be much appreciated. Well I think you'll probably die A single short exposure would do you no harm even if there is lead present.

If you were a decorator breathing it in day in day out it may be a problem. Forget it. Smoking cigarettes kills 1 in every 2 but people still smoke. Your worrying over nothing, if it did contain lead the amount you would have ingested would be miniscule, so stop worrying. TheDec , 8 Oct The heavy metals, like lead, mercury and cadmium are not that dangerous in their metal form.

Neither are they super dangerous as oxides. Lead is used for old water mains in the UK and it builds up a barrier that shields the lead anyway. The danger is them turning into sulphates or chlorides. That makes them water soluble, so they'll dissolve in your blood. Whereas elemental mercury is used in fillings. Long story short, but not as short as Joe's, no I wouldn't worry too much. It'll be insoluble forms of it in the paint being used as a pigment - like the oxide lots of metal oxides are used as pigments for paints, e.

I would suggest you are careful sanding things in old houses if you don't know what they are. Exposure to lead paint can cause serious health issues, especially in young children and pregnant women. High levels of lead can cause lead poisoning or brain or nervous system damage. In children, even low levels may cause behavioral problems or learning disabilities. Before you begin renovations, consider the following information in order to minimize the health risks to you and your family.

Exposure to lead-based paint usually occurs from ingestion. Lead-based paint does not present a health hazard as long as the paint is not chipping, flaking, crushed or sanded into dust. Low levels of exposure to lead can cause health effects such as learning disabilities and behavioural problems in children. High levels of exposure to lead may cause lead poisoning and other issues such as anemia and impaired brain and nervous system functions. Currently there is no known safe level of lead exposure and no known safe blood lead concentration.

However, as lead exposure increases, the range and severity of symptoms and effects also increases. It is important to be aware of lead sources so you can minimize your health risks. Infants, children and pregnant women are at higher risk.

Toddlers and children can ingest lead because of their frequent hand-to-mouth activity and tendency to mouth or chew objects. Children absorb and retain more lead into their bodies compared to adults. For pregnant women, even low levels of lead can affect the growth of the developing baby. Lead-based paint was commonly used in homes built before Both exterior and interior paint produced between and may also contain lead in smaller amounts.

All post consumer paint produced in Canada or the United States for indoor use is virtually lead-free. Since , paint in Canada containing more than 0. When painting your home, make sure that the paint you use for the interior is lead-free. Exterior paints used for the outside of a house may contain lead.

If it contains lead, the paint will have a warning label. You can check painted surfaces for lead by using a home lead test kit or sending a paint chip sample to a certified laboratory. To have the lab test for lead paint, consumers may:. If you have lead-based paint, you should take steps to reduce your exposure to lead. The U. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD recommends that action to reduce exposure should be taken when the lead in paint is greater than 0.

Action is especially important when paint is deteriorating or when infants, children, or pregnant women are present. Consumers can reduce exposure to lead-based paint. You can:. Have the painted item replaced. You can replace a door or other easily removed item if you can do it without creating lead dust.

Items that are difficult to remove should be replaced by professionals who will control and contain lead dust. 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 with non-lead paint is not a long-term solution. Even though the lead-based paint may be covered by non-lead paint, the lead-based paint may continue to loosen from the surface below and create lead dust.

The new paint may also partially mix with the lead-based paint, and lead dust will be released when the new paint begins to deteriorate. Have the lead-based paint removed. Have professionals trained in removing lead-based paint do this work. Each of the paint-removal methods sandpaper, scrapers, chemicals, sandblasters, and torches or heat guns can produce lead fumes or dust. Fumes or dust can become airborne and be inhaled or ingested. Wet methods help reduce the amount of lead dust.

Removing moldings, trim, window sills, and other painted surfaces for professional paint stripping outside the home may also create dust. Be sure the professionals contain the lead dust. Wet-wipe all surfaces to remove any dust or paint chips. Wet-clean the area before re-entry. You can remove a small amount of lead-based paint if you can avoid creating any dust. Make sure the surface is less than about one square foot such as a window sill. Any job larger than about one square foot should be done by professionals.

Make sure you can use a wet method such as a liquid paint stripper.