Lead based paint, or any paint that contains lead, can cause serious health issues to those living around it. This makes it very important to identify and remove lead paint from commonly used areas such as homes or businesses. While lead was banned from use in paint in 1978, many buildings in use today were built before the ban was put in place. This makes it possible for lead paint to keep negatively affecting the population today and for many years into the future.
What Makes Lead Paint So Harmful?
Paint is a product that is used in and on buildings of all kinds, from businesses to offices to homes. If there is lead in paint, any erosion of the paint layer has the potential to release lead particles into the environment. Once in the air, lead particles can be inhaled through the nose or mouth. Almost all lead that ends up in human lungs is absorbed into the bloodstream. Once lead particles have landed on the ground, food or clothing, it can also be transferred to our mouths by our hands and enter the digestive system. The digestive system of adults absorbs up to 80% of ingested lead while children’s systems can absorb up to 100%. The high likelihood of lead paint flaking away and deteriorating over time, as well as the likelihood of its absorption into the human body, makes its toxicity a threat to human health and happiness.
Health Effects of Living Around Lead Paint
Lead is extremely toxic to humans, and living near a source of lead debris, such as flaking wall paint, could prove detrimental to an individual’s health. It is rare to experience lead poisoning after only one encounter, but prolonged or repeated exposure, such as that created by the slow deterioration of paint, allows lead to build up in the bloodstream. Once lead is in the bloodstream, it has an open path to affect many of the body’s systems. Some immediate symptoms of lead poisoning include abdominal pain or cramps, aggression, irritability, fatigue and memory loss. These symptoms grow worse as more lead enters the body, damaging the nervous system – the message system of the body. This impacts muscle function, nerve sensation and organ function. In extreme cases, lead poisoning could cause organ failure or even death.
Who Is Most Affected by Lead Paint?
The toxicity of lead can affect anyone, but its effects are felt most strongly by children, fetuses and the elderly. Children are extremely susceptible to brain damage due to lead particles. Flaking lead paint on walls or old children’s toys are simple ways that lead builds up in a child’s system. Because children’s brains and nervous systems are still developing, the negative impacts of lead poisoning are amplified. Lead poisoning could lead to developmental delay, learning difficulties, hearing loss or seizures throughout the child’s life. Unborn children are also dramatically impacted by lead if it’s ingested by their mother. Lead stored in an adult’s bones can be released back into the bloodstream during pregnancy.
What is the Process of Lead Paint Removal?
Lead paint removal is the best way to ensure the safety of a space. There are many ways to remove lead paint. The process of removing lead paint is best carried out by trained and certified professionals for the safest results. There are many varieties of lead paint removal such as scraping, chemical removal, or in some cases simply replacing smaller objects such as door and window frames. The most important element of lead paint removal is the cleaning and containment of the lead. Every area where lead paint is removed must be scoured during and after the removal of the paint. If the lead is contained and disposed of according to government regulations, the threat of lead poisoning will be neutralized.
While lead paint poses a danger to anyone living near it, it’s threat can easily be reduced and eliminated. Taking the proper measures for lead paint removal and disposal is essential for the continued health and safety of citizens in our communities.