Lead Paint Blog

Marine paint removal is another place you could find lead based paint.  Many people use a belt-sander to remove paint off boats, but this is very dangerous and harmful to the environment if there is lead paint on that boat.  Many chemical strippers are not suitable for use on a boat and most are not suitable for use on lead paint. 

Lead-Out Paint Stripper is the ideal paint remover for stripping and painting your boat.  It is safe, because it is non-toxic and won’t cause chemical burns if it touches your skin.  It is effective, because it will strip multiple coats of paint over a coverage area of around 100 square feet.  Also, the gel paint stripper keeps all the paint encapsulated in the gel instead of creating a cloud of noxious fumes, and Lead-Out will render the lead paint non-hazardous.  It is easy to use, because you simply brush or spray it on and it will lift the paint off the surface so you only have to wipe it off when it is doen.  If you are thinking about removing paint from your boat, then consider Lead-Out Paint Stripper.

So the paint stripper that I bought is pretty amazing.  It has given me just a little bit more confidence to do this huge project by myself.  Every once in a while I have a couple of friends over.  Now that I have this huge project I’ve found that if you have enough beer, you can get your guy friends to come over and chat with you about construction work.

So they come over and I some extra help with my project.  It is moving along nicely.  I think that I made the right decision in putting the power of the project into my own hands.  That way I’ll know who to blame.

Lead paint coats many steel surfaces such as bridges, pipes, silos, and fuel tanks.  When evaluating a paint removal method for steel structures several factors must be considered.  First, the effectiveness of the removal method in actually removing the lead paint.  Soda blasting or other abrasive blasting is a common method, but blasting requires a lot of equipment and it is difficult to contain the hazardous lead paint.  Using a chemical stripper uses much less equipment and makes containment easy while it is just as effective if not more effective in stripping the paint off steel surfaces. 

Containment is always an issue when removing lead paint.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires certain precautions are taken to reduce exposure to workers.  Containing the dust and debris generated by removing lead paint is essential to meeting OSHA requirements.  This makes any type of blasting inefficient, because workers will have to wear significant personal protective equipment (ppe) and setup physical barriers around the work site to prevent spreading the hazardous lead dust.  When a non-toxic, non-caustic chemical stripper is used, less ppe is required and the lead dust is automatically contained by the paint stripper itself.  This will ensure compliance with OSHA, and if the stripper renders the lead non-hazardous, it will be easy to comply with EPA and HAZMAT requirements as well.

Some paint strippers can corrode the steel or be harmful to the workers.  That is why only non-toxic, non-caustic paint strippers should be used to remove lead paint from steel structures. 

Finally, you want the most bang for your buck.  Many paint strippers cannot cover more than 25 square feet per gallon.  Compare paint stripper coverage area before you buy. 

When shopping for paint removal supplies you want to compare different products just like any other shopping.  The criteria you use should include safety, coverage area, price, and intended use.

To consider the safety of a paint stripper, you should look at pH, VOCs, toxicity, and causticity.  The pH of a substance can range from 1 (most acidic) to 10 (most basic).  High and low pH can cause chemical burns.  Look for a neutral pH of around 4-6.  VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds and these compounds are hazardous to our health.  Look for a paint stripper with less than 1% VOC content.  Toxic substances have to be labelled as toxic with appropriate warnings.  Methylene Chloride is common toxic paint stripper and the fumes from it can harm your eyes and lungs.  Methlylene Chloride and other paint strippers are caustic, which means they will burn your skin if you touch it.  Chemical burns can be very painful.  Non-caustic paint strippers will say non-caustic on the package or in the product information.  All relevant safety information should be readily available on the package on a product information page.

Coverage area, price, and intended use should be considered together, because $25 for a gallon that covers 20 square feet is not as good a deal as $78 for a gallon that covers 120 square feet.  The same goes for a cheaper paint stripper that only removes oil based paint or latex paint, but not both. 

Lead-Out® Paint Stripper removes lead based paint, oil based paint, latex paint, milk paint, and others off wood, brick, masonry, steel, and other metals.  This industrial strength paint stripper covers 80-120 square feet per gallon.  It is non-toxic and non-caustic with a VOC content of less than 0.25%.  Also, it has a neutral pH as the main ingredient is American grown soy beans.  You should look for yourself and compare paint strippers before buying.

   As lead paint deteriorates it can flake off as paint chips, but more frequently the deterioration is less visible in the form of dust.  High impact surfaces, such as windows and doors, create the most lead dust.  This dust is frequently inhaled by people and children in the home.  It also gets on your hands and then into your body through your mouth or nose.  Lead poisoning effects thousands of children everyday.

   It is very important to clean around windows and doors if you live in a house built before 1978, which is when lead paint was banned.  Houses built before 1978 are likely to contain lead paint, and houses built before 1950 almost definitely contain lead paint.

   Cleaning everyday will lower the likelihood that you or your children will contract lead poisoning.  Permanently removing the lead paint will make certain that no one will end up with lead poisoning, which can cause serious health problems including brain damage.

   Improper removal of lead paint can be dangerous.  To make the job safe and easy use a non-toxic paint stripper that renders lead paint non-hazardous.  This method will eliminate hazardous lead dust and take the hard labor out of the job.  Make sure you have the proper tools and you keep children away from the work area.

  Workers in a number of industries work with lead based paint on a regular basis.  Contractors who work on old houses especially for renovations or remodelling must remove lead paint.  Workers run into lead paint on fuel tankers, bridges, shipyards, industrial facilities, and storage silos.  With any industrial lead paint removal, OSHA and EPA regulations must be observed.

  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a high priority on reducing lead exposure among American workers.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also identified exposure to lead as a serious environmental hazard.  Basically, if you work with lead paint you must follow precautions to avoid inhalation of lead dust and avoid spreading the lead dust to other locations.  Employers must provide personal protective equipment and make a reasonable effort given the situation to protect their workers.

  One product that will increase compliance with OSHA and EPA standards in all industries working with lead paint is IFS LEAD-OUT® Paint Stripper.  This non-toxic paint stripper is industrial strength, because it will remove multiple coats of paint and cover up to 120 square feet of surface area per gallon.  It will also render lead and other heavy metals non-hazardous making the work much safer.  Not only will the work be safer and easier, but the lead paint residue will be non-hazardous waste.  Normally, lead paint waste must disposed of in a hazardous waste site, which can cost significantly more than non-hazardous waste sites.  Hence, LEAD-OUT® will help bring your project into compliance with OSHA and EPA regulations as well as save money on containment, transportation, and disposal, because you will remove the handling of hazardous waste from your industrial lead paint removal project.

Many homes and schools built before 1978 will have some lead-based paint on the interiors and/or exteriors. Lead paint can also be found on playground equipment, boats and bridges. Exposure to lead can cause brain damage, especially in children and pregnant women.

The most common cause of exposure is from the dust generated when you sand lead-based paint or when the paint chips or peels with age.

A safe paint stripper is available and is highly recommended if you live in house where there is deteriorating lead paint.