Lead Paint Blog

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. 

Lead is an element (pb).  It is rare to find elemental lead, because lead molecules react with many other molecules.  Most naturally occurring lead is found as lead-sulfide, because this compound is stable and it takes a lot of energy to separate the lead from the sulfide compound.  Lead-Sulfide is also known as galena or lead-ore.  To harvest lead from ore (just like any other metal) takes a lot of energy.  The process of breaking lead-sulfide involves roasting, blasting, and filtering. 

Lead-Sulfide does not dissolve in water and does not leach into soil or living tissue.  Leaching is the process of chemicals separating out into constituent parts by percolating through something (like soil or a living body).  Considering the amount of energy needed to separate lead-sulfide into lead and sulfur compounds, it is not surprising that lead-sulfide will not naturally leach into the soil or human tissue.  Other lead compounds, which are not normally found in nature, are soluble and leachable; hence, they are more dangerous as the lead separates out of the compound to react with surrounding molcules.  This is how lead poisoning happens.

Compounds found in lead paint such as lead-chromate and lead-carbonate will leach into the body and cause lead poisoning.  These compounds are artificial and will break apart easily when they come into contact with other molecules that are reactive with lead.  Lead-Sulfide is not 100% safe, because it can be source of lead exposure; however, it is unlikely to cause lead poisoning as it is the least harmful form of lead.  Directly inhaling or ingesting lead-sulfide is harmful, but not as harmful as other forms of lead.

The Environmental Protection Agency uses a test called the TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) to test for hazardous lead.  If the lead does not leach, then it is not an environmental threat and less harmful to human health than leachable lead.  This is the principle behind Solucorp’s Molecular Bonding System (MBS).

MBS reacts with lead and other heavy metals like chromium and cadmium to create lead-sulfide and other sulfide compounds.  This patented technology turns hazardous lead paint into non-hazardous compounds that can safely be disposed of in any landfill.  With Lead-Out® Paint Stripper we can turn all the hazardous lead paint into non-hazardous lead-sulfide.  We can put all the lead paint back into nature in its natural form.

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.

Houses built before 1978 likely contain lead based paint that can cause lead poisoning.  Paint companies sold lead paint until it was banned in 1978 due to the harmful health effects.  Exposure to lead from old lead paint can cause damage to internal organs and brain damage which lead to behavioral and emotional problems. 

High impact surfaces such as windows and doors produce the most lead dust as painted surfaces rub against each other every time you open and close them.  People in older homes must clean the dust and paint chips off the floor and window sills around high-impact surfaces.  Failure to keep these areas clean will expose your family to potential lead poisoning.  Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to pick d up dust and paint chips.  Regular vacuums do not have HEPA filters and will kick up the lead dust and spread it around

When remodelling, renovating, or making home improvements people must take precautions to not create hazardous lead dust.  The best way to accomplish this is to use a specialized paint stripper to remove the lead paint.  Lead-Out® Paint Stripper will trap all the lead dust in the gel and render the lead non-hazardous.  It is easy to use and takes the hard work out of paint removal.  Lead-Out® is non-toxic and contains safe ingredients so you don’t have to worry about hazardous fumes, and when you are done, lead poisoning will not be a worry either.