Lead in Your Home

If you live in a house built before the 1970s, painted surfaces may emit lead. According to a report by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, 74% of private housing built before 1980 has lead paint somewhere. To find out how hazardous your house may be, send dust samples from the windowsills and floor, and chips of paint itself to a certified lab to the analyzed. Effective home kits can also be purchased. Here are some other ways to minimize the dangers of lead in your home:

• Frequent cleaning of floors and windowsills with a TSP (trisodium phosphate) solution to remove dust will help if lead levels are not too high. For carpets use a shampooer that vacuums up the dirty water, and don't count on vacuum cleaners to sweep up dust-they tend to emit dust (carrying lead) back into the air. Instead, wet down the surfaces with TSP solution two times, wet mop with a high-phosphate soap that has been diluted, then clean with a wet-and-dry-shop-type vacuum cleaner. Keep children away from lead-contaminated areas. Wash their toys and keep them away from dirt and sandboxes that can be contaminated by flaking exterior paint.

• Don't sand or use a heat gun on lead paint.

• Consider using encapsulating paint to cover lead-containing old paint. Or use drywall or wallpaper backed with woven cloth to cover old paint. Replace contaminated woodwork.

• Lead abatement by a qualified contractor is the most expensive method. Call your local office of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to find a qualified contractor. Make sure the people who do the work have attended a lead-paint-abatement program. While work is being done, children and pregnant women should live elsewhere.

KiyaSama is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.

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