Lead Paint Blog

If you’re going to strip lead paint yourself, you need to have specific instruments to be able to do the job safely.  Here’s a short list of paint removal tools that you’ll need to strip lead paint:

A Mask
This will protect you against fumes and dust.  Breathing in lead debris can be very hazardous.

Coverall
Covering the rest of your body will ensure that lead paint chips and dust won’t get into on exposed skin, and you won’t spread the lead paint dust to other places.

Lead Paint Stripper                                                                                                                                               A safe paint stripper is necessary to contain the lead dust and make it easy for you to remove the paint without a lot of work. 

Scraper
It’s the main tool for “scraping” lead paint.  Being without this is like being a knight without a sword.

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.

    In April 2010, new regulations from the EPA will require all renovations in pre-1978 houses to follow lead safe work practices.  This essentially outlaws unsafe methods of lead paint removal, requires certification of workers and supervisors, and requires dust sampling to ensure no lead dust remains after work is completed.  Scraping, sanding, burning, or using any power tools that might kick up lead dust will be illegal paint removal methods in houses built before 1978.  
    Almost every contractor has worked on a house built before 1978, and most of them used some form of scraping or sanding to remove lead paint.  Also, many people remove lead paint without any training and fail to properly clean up afterwards.  The new regulations will require all professionals to obtain certification before starting any lead paint removal project. The EPA is also requiring dust sampling when the project is completed, because contractors will have to demonstrate that no lead dust remains in the house.
     Contractors and painters will all have to find a new lead paint removal methods or face very harsh penalties for non-compliance.  Some of these methods require expensive equipment.  If you want to scrape or sand the lead paint, you will need to use a wet method and have industrial HEPA vacuums constantly running.  Furthermore, precautions must be taken to contain the hazardous lead dust.  Not only does this include a basic quarantine of the work area and posting warning signs on all entrances, but everyone must wear personal protective equipment such as respirators, goggles, coveralls, and gloves.
    Some of these regulations cannot be avoided such as certification, posting warning signs, and passing the dust sampling clearance tests.  Many of the precautions, however, become unnecessary when certain paint strippers are used to remove lead paint.  Only non-toxic, non-caustic paint strippers should be used for lead paint removal. 
    A paste-like or semi-paste stripper will virtually eliminate lead dust, because the stripper will dissolve most of the paint and trap the dust in the residue.  Also, there are a few paint strippers that render lead paint non-hazardous.  The only one I am familiar with that permanently changes the lead paint is Lead-Out Paint Stripper, which also neutralizes other heavy metals such as chromium, cadmium, and zinc. Non-hazardous waste disposal is much cheaper than hazardous waste disposal.  Using such a paint stripper will ensure compliance with the law as well as everyone’s safety.

      Do you know that indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air? One of the EPA’s top 5 hazards to human health is indoor air quality. This is caused by low levels of toxic dust and particles from old paint on our walls.  Many years after the paint is applied, toxins of all sorts enter the air to pollute our homes. These toxins come from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that used to be considered vital to the performance of paint.  Common VOCs are methylene chloride (common in paint strippers), benzene (common in paints), and Ethylene Glycol (common in latex paints).  These hazards are in addition to the hazard posed by lead based paint.

    New consumer demand as well as new EPA regulations have led to new environmentally friendly paints that are low-VOC and zero-VOC.  There are also zero-VOC paint strippers such as Lead-Out Paint Stripper and Franmar’s Soy Gel Paint Remover.  Always read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for paints and paint strippers before purchasing them to find out the VOC content and other important information. 

     Technically, zero-VOC paint is any paint with less than 5 grams/liter VOC content as demonstrated by EPA Reference Test Method 24.  Although manufactures can claim zero VOC paints, they may still use colorants and biocides which have a low VOC content. Some zero-VOC paints on the market right now include Sherwin Williams Harmony paint line, Benjamin Moore Pristine EcoSpec paint, Green Planets paints, and Ecoshield paint by DunnEdwards. 

     Low-VOC paints are those with water as a carrier instead of petroleum based solvents. Paints and stains that meet the EPA’s low VOC standards must have less than 200 grams/liter VOC content, and varnishes must have less than 300 grams/liter VOC content. Responsible companies generally market low VOC paints that do not cross the 50 gram/liter threshold, and paints with the Green Seal Standard are certified less than 50 grams/liter VOCs.  Examples of low VOC paints include the Benjamin Moore Aura paint line, Ecologic paints by Coverdale, and MAB paints.

      It is highly recommended that people remove old paint with an environmentally friendly paint stripper and repaint the surfaces with environmentally friendly paint.

          A new kind of paint stripper may be the permanent solution to the lead paint problem.  It’s called Lead-Out® Paint Stripper, and it uses an EPA “SITE” (Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation) proven technology called Molecular Bonding System, or MBS®.
         Cities and States around the country are confronting the problem of lead poisoning from lead based paint.  Some, like Rhode Island, point the finger at paint companies and are in court hoping to force them to remove all the lead paint in Rhode Island.  Others, like Rochester, NY, have taken it upon themselves to eliminate lead poisoning by cleaning and encapsulating the hazards. 
         Very few, however, actually remove the lead paint.  Most people focus on simply cleaning the paint chips and dangerous lead dust from windows and floors everyday.  Many cover up lead paint with new siding, new paint, or chemical encapsulates. Temporary fixes to long-term problems are dangerous , and as long as we address this problem with short-term fixes children will continue to be poisoned by lead paint.  
         Eventually the lead has to be neutralized and removed.  Most people believe permanent abatement is too expensive.  It used to involve hours of hard labor, extensive precautions to prevent the spread of lead dust, and transportation and disposal of hazardous lead paint waste.  Very few families can afford this and cities and states would be hard pressed to find money in their budgets for this project.  Eliminating the labor and the hazard reduces the costs.  Part of the responsibility is on contractors to use new technology to reduce the costs and increase safety.
        Science has already brought us a solution.  A small environmental company in West Nyack, NY, Solucorp Industries Ltd., invented the Molecular Bonding System (MBS®) that permanently neutralizes heavy metals such as lead.  Companies in the US and Europe use MBS® to clean up hazardous waste from industrial polluters.  Coal-burning electricity generators use it to neutralize mercury, and it is part of the environmentally friendly paint stripper called Lead-Out® Paint Stripper.
        Lead-Out® is made of soy, which is biodegradable, non-toxic, and safe to use inside or outside.  When you mix MBS® with the soy paint stripper you have a paste that you brush or spray onto surfaces coated with lead paint.  It neutralizes the lead immediately.  You can then easily remove the residue with a scraper or wash it off with a hose.  The waste is non-hazardous and can be thrown away in your household garbage.  You can remove all the lead paint on every window sill and door frame in the house in one day without extensive precautions or expensive equipment. 

        This new technology is a permanent solution to one of the most serious environmental hazards facing us today.   Contractors, muncipalities, and anyone concerned about lead poisoning from lead based paint should get their hands on this new product.

It is very important to follow EPA lead safe work practices when working with lead paint.  These precautions and methods will ensure the safety of everyone involved in the project.  For contractors and other professionals it is not only about safety it is about complying with the law. 

The main objective of lead safe work practices is containment of hazardous lead dust.  Inhaling lead dust is the number one cause of lead poisoning.  The EPA recommends spraying the surface with water before and while scraping off lead paint in order to weigh down the paint chips.  This lessens the dust but will still release hazardous dust into the air.  The EPA further recommends the room be sealed off with thick plastic sheets and workers should wear respirators, coveralls, gloves, goggles, and hats. 

An alternative to wet scraping or sanding is using a specialized lead paint stripper.  Lead paint strippers are paste-like paint removers that you apply to the painted surface with a brush, roller, trowel, or sprayer.  A paint stripper will completely cover the painted surface and begin dissolving and removing the paint.  Little to no dust is generated when you scrape or wash off the residue that is left after the stripper does its work.  Less equipment is required, because less dust is generated.  Furthermore, some lead paint strippers actually turn the lead non-hazardous increasing the safety and minimizing the protective equipment required.  No respirator nor plastic sheets enclosing the room are necessary with careful application of a lead paint stripper that renders lead paint non-hazardous.

DO NOT…

1. Scrape lead paint without wetting the surface or using a paint stripper
2. Use a blow torch or heat gun (lead paint fumes are very toxic)
3. Leave lead paint chips and lead dust on the floor or ground when finished
4. Eat or drink in the same room where lead paint removal is happening

DO…

1. Use a specialized lead paint stripper that turns lead paint non-hazardous
2. Clean the work area thoroughly before and after removal
3. Where goggles, gloves, and other personal protective equipment you may need
4. Post warning notices outside of lead paint removal work sites
5. Read and carefully follow all instructions for chemicals and equipment you use