Last week over on AT, I reviewed several items from the recent Missoni for Target line and much to my surprise, many of the readers commented that they had received items from the line with warnings that the products tested high for lead! They returned the items, not willing to take any risks. This month as we kick-off Green Home Building and Renovations, it's imperative to know what is required in terms of lead-safe practices in home renovations.
The basics:
• High amounts of contact with lead can be extremely dangerous, especially in children under 6
• The most common household lead exposure can come from paint in homes built prior to 1978
• Exposure can also come from petroleum, dust on window sills, and soil
• In addition to Federal guidelines, each state has it's own lead requirements so be sure you are familiar with your state's requirements
If you are planning on hiring out a home renovation or repair, you need to know about the New EPA Lead-Safe Certification that was enacted earlier this year. The EPA certified over 500,000 lead-safe renovators trained in lead-safe practices and oversees the clean-up if your home contains any amount of lead, so be sure to ask your contractor if they have been trained and certified!
If you are brave enough to do a remodel yourself, you are not covered under the new rule and if you have any questions about lead in your own home, you can purchase a lead testing kit from any home improvement store near you.
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A friend of mine who's a woodworker (and who works with reclaimed wood) told me the old gloss enamel paints that were used on molding, doors, etc. are much more likely to contain lead than flat paint used on walls & ceilings.
Another thing for homeowners. If you test for lead and you get a positive result, you may be legally required to disclose the presence of lead when you sell your house. Me, I just assume it's there and treat it accordingly....
It is definitely imperative that home owners take these facts into consideration and deploy some sort of safety mechanism to account for such intrusions. Maybe this could be incorporated into some new type of home security system that can monitor traces of this substance and sound an alarm when the big guys need to be called in.