National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW)
CDC and HHS share the goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning in the United States. NLPPW occurs every year during the last full week in October (Senate. Resolution 199). During NLPPW, CDC aims to:

• Raise awareness about lead poisoning;
• Stress the importance of screening the highest risk children younger than 6 years of age (preferably by ages 1 and 2) if they have not been tested yet;
• Highlight partner’s efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning; and
• Urge people to take steps to reduce lead exposure.

During NLPPW, many states and communities offer free blood-lead testing and conduct various education and awareness events. For more information about NLPPW activities in your area, please contact your state or local health department.

Every year, CDC, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), develops posters in observance of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW). The posters are free for downloading by states and communities. In addition, in 2010, we have developed a NLPPW Campaign Toolkit to encourage information-sharing, collaboration, and promotion of NLPPW and lead poisoning prevention in general.

GETTING STARTED

There are many ways to reduce the hazards of lead-based paint — but SOME METHODS OF REMOVING PAINT ACTUALLY INCREASE THE RISK OF LEAD EXPOSURE. It’s important to pick the safest method for your project; the goal is to reduce the hazards while creating as little lead dust as possible.

If lead paint on ceilings and walls is in good repair, then painting them or covering them with wallpaper may be all that is needed to keep the lead paint in place.

BUT —if lead paint is chipping or peeling, or if it’s on a surface such as a windowsill or stair rail where children can chew on it, then the lead paint (or the painted material) should be removed or covered. Painted surfaces that rub on each other, such as doors and windows, require special attention to stop the friction. And if the paint has been damaged by other problems, such as water damage due to leaks, then the underlying problem should be fixed first.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

BE CAREFUL! During the work, you might stir up dust or create fumes containing lead. This can be very dangerous for adults, children and pets. Always use a method that creates the least amount of dust and fumes.

You should consider hiring a professional contractor with experience in working safely with lead removal. Whether you’re going to do the job yourself or hire somebody, it’s YOUR responsibility to see that the job is done safely.

Here are some tips:

• Children and pregnant women must not do any lead paint removal work, and they should stay out of the work area until clean-up is complete. (See “Clean-Up” section.) If you’re not sure you can clean up every day, arrangements for temporary living quarters should be made.
• Work in one room at a time, and seal off the work area from the rest of the house, including any heating or ventilation ducts, using heavy plastic sheets (6-mil thick is good).
• EVERYTHING in the room (furniture, rugs, carpets, floors, bedding, drapes, dishware, food, toys, etc.) must be removed, or covered with TWO sheets of plastic (again, heavy, 6-mil plastic) and all the seams taped. Plastic used to cover the floor should be secured to the wall or baseboard with duct tape.
• Workers should wear disposable coveralls, shoes, hair covering, goggles and a respirator approved by NIOSH (the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) or MSHA (the Mine Safety and Health Administration). Approved respirators will have an approval number on them, ( i.e., TC-21C-xxx). Only HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) respirators will filter lead dust and fumes. Simple paper or fabric dust masks will NOT protect a worker from lead dust.
• To avoid ingesting lead, workers should not eat, drink or smoke on the job.
• Workers need to clean up carefully. Before leaving the work area, they should dispose of their coveralls, and remove the dust from their clothes with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filtered vacuum cleaner. And workers should shower as soon as they can after work, so they don’t spread lead dust around their homes.

WHAT TO DO

Enclosure

One way of reducing exposure to lead paint is to cover the surface with a new surface — by putting up drywall or by covering windowsills with vinyl or aluminum, for example. This doesn’t require the removal of the lead paint, so this is often the easiest solution. But if the new surface is ever removed or damaged, the lead problem returns. Materials used to enclose lead-painted surfaces should be durable and fire resistant, such as gypsum board, aluminum, vinyl, plywood paneling, laminates, acrylic sheets, plexiglas, fiberglass, or tile.

Encapsulation

Encapsulation is a technique that bonds materials to the existing painted surface; it’s more than just a coat of paint, in that the encapsulant is bonded to the lead paint. It is important to follow product instructions exactly to be sure that a strong, long lasting bond is created.

Replacement

This might be a good time to think about replacement. Sometimes it’s easier to replace windows, doors, or woodwork than it is to remove lead-based paint.

Removal

There are several ways to remove lead-based paints:

• Wire brushing or wet hand scraping with the aid of a non-flammable solvent or abrasive compound. Liquid paint removers can be used on small areas, such as windowsills, doors and woodwork. Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions and warning labels before purchasing and using. It is important for workers to use personal protective equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses and disposable coveralls when using some paint removers.
• Wet hand sanding and/or power sanding with HEPA filters. Only wet hand sanding and/or an electric sander equipped with a HEPA filtered vacuum attachment should be used. Dry hand sanding should never be done.
• Heat stripping, using a low temperature (below 1100 degrees F) heat gun, followed by hand scraping. Heat guns pose a fire hazard, and make lead dust and vapors, so they should be used only by experienced workers wearing respirators.

The following methods of paint removal are hazardous and in some communities illegal, and should NOT be used:

• open flame burning or torching;
• machine sanding or grinding without a HEPA attachment;
• abrasive blasting or sand blasting;
• power washing without a method to trap water and paint chips.

Exterior work should be done on calm days, and wet-misting or vacuuming should be used to control lead dust and paint chips during removal. The ground around the building should be protected with heavy (6-mil) plastic sheets. The outer edges of the sheeting should be raised to trap dust, debris, and liquid wastes. Wastes should be disposed of properly, as described below.

CLEAN-UP

Lead removal will generate lead dust and debris. Unless the house is properly cleaned, it will be more hazardous after the work than it was before!

Daily Clean-Up

Everyday, the debris should be misted with water, swept up and placed in double 4-mil or 6- mil plastic bags. Then all surfaces should be wet-dusted and wet-mopped. This step is very important.

Final Clean-Up

A HEPA-equipped vacuum should be used on all surfaces (floors, walls, ceilings, woodwork, carpeting, furniture). DO NOT use a standard household vacuum or shop vacuum, which are not designed or equipped to trap lead dust particles. Then wet-mop hardwood surfaces with a solution containing a heavy-duty household cleaner (automatic dishwasher detergent or a lead-specific detergent). The wet-mopping should be followed by another HEPA vacuuming.

Old rugs and carpets should be replaced, if possible; and all furniture, bedding, rugs, carpets, drapes, etc., that were removed prior to work should be cleaned before being brought back in.

DISPOSAL

Debris from lead-based paint removal or renovation may be double-bagged and disposed of in limited quantities in household trash. Lead debris must never be burned. Liquid wastes, including wash water, must never be dumped onto the ground; waste water should be filtered through a cloth filter before dumping into a sanitary sewer or toilet. The filtered debris can go out with the other trash. The mops and cloths used to clean up lead dust and debris should never be used for any other purpose, and should be disposed of when the job is done.

A FINAL WORD

It is safest not to undertake lead removal on your own. Contact your local health department for additional information or for help in identifying qualified contractors experienced in lead removal.

For more information about getting the right materials for your clean-up, please visit our online catalogue.

Original Source: New York State Health Department

Nearly a quarter of a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from a 2003–2004 national survey. If high blood lead levels are not detected early, children with such high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from damage to the brain and nervous system. They can develop behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity), slowed growth, hearing problems, and aggressive patterns of behavior.

To raise awareness of the consequences of lead poisoning among parents and pregnant women who live in homes built before 1978, many State and Local Health Departments are participating in National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW) October 24–30^th. Join the CDC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in encouraging parents to learn more about how to prevent lead poisoning.

This year’s NLPPW theme, “Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future,” underscores the importance of testing your home, testing your child, and learning how to prevent lead poisoning’s serious health effects.

Established in 1999 by the US Senate, National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week occurs every year during the last week in October. During this week, many states and communities offer free blood-lead testing and conduct various education and awareness events. For more information about NLPPW activities in your area, contact your local health department for more information.

“The clapboards are cypress, I think—a full 10 inches wide and 7/8 inches thick at the butt,” said TOH general contractor Tom Silva. “Beautiful wood in great condition, except that it won’t hold any more paint.”

Painting contractor Jim Clark concurred: “We could feather out the failed areas with scrapers and sandpaper before priming and top coating, but a year after we finish, the flaking and chipping could start again. So all the paint has to go. That means a lot of work, but when we’re finished, we’ll have a baby-smooth surface that will hold nice, even coats of paint for a long time to come.”

Dealing With Lead
Stripping paint from any house built before 1978 raises the question of lead. Given the number of coats on the Winchester house, Clark had no doubt about the presence of the heavy metal. In the past, getting rid of lead required hiring a licensed—and costly—abatement contractor to remove and dispose of the lead-laced paint. But changed in Massachusetts in 2001, according to Jim Roberts, an environmental analyst with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection: “Massachusetts adopted federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines that reclassify lead paint residue from a residence as household waste. The idea is that if it is easier for homeowners to dispose of lead, they will be more likely to remove it from their homes.” For Clark and crew, it meant that they could do the work—if they took the mandated safety precautions—and that all the paint they removed from the house could simply be bagged up and chucked into the trash.

Read the rest of this article at the Original Source: This Old House Magazine

Nearly a quarter of a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from a 2003–2004 national survey.

To raise awareness of the consequences of lead poisoning among parents and pregnant women who live in homes built before 1978, many State and Local Health Departments are participating in National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW) October 24–30^th. Join the CDC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in encouraging parents to learn more about how to prevent lead poisoning.

Watch this winning video from 2009’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Video Contest. These 30-to-60 second videos seek to educate the public about lead poisoning prevention and the danger of lead exposure.

This video was created as an entry for a video contest sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It was produced by the University of Connecticut’s Healthy Environments for Children Initiative (www.hec.uconn.edu), Department of Extension, in cooperation with the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, the Department of Dramatic Arts, and the Design Center.

Lead is highly toxic. Exposure to it can be dangerous, especially for children who are 6 or younger. It is important that every parent know about where lead can be found, and how to protect your children from exposure to lead. It is also important to know what to do if you or a member of your family is exposed to lead.

Lead is poisonous because it interferes with some of the body’s basic functions. A human body cannot tell the difference between lead and calcium, which is a mineral that strengthens bones. Like calcium, lead remains in the bloodstream for a few weeks. Then it is absorbed into the bones, where it can collect for a lifetime.

• Lead can affect anyone, but children ages 6 and younger are at particular risk of lead poisoning because the bodies of children in this age group develop rapidly and they frequently place their hands, toys, and other objects that could have dust from lead-based paint in their mouths.
• Lead poisoning is not easy to detect. Sometimes no symptoms occur, and sometimes the symptoms are the same as those of more common illnesses.
• Some of the early signs and symptoms of lead poisoning in children are:
  • Persistent tiredness or hyperactivity
  • Irritability
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Reduced attention span
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Constipation
• Find out if your child has elevated blood lead levels. You can test your child for lead poisoning by asking your pediatrician to do a simple blood test or by visiting a testing provider in your area. Children with elevated blood lead levels can have serious health effects. If not detected early, children with high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from:
  • Damage to the brain and nervous system
  • Behavior and learning problems, such as hyperactivity
  • Slowed growth
  • Hearing problems
  • Headaches
  • In rare cases of acute lead poisoning from ingestion of lead, children can suffer seizures, coma and even death.

Original Source: LeadFreeKids.org

Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. The key is stopping children from coming into contact with lead and treating children who have been poisoned by lead. The goal is to prevent lead exposure to children before they are harmed. There are many ways parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead. The key is stopping children from coming into contact with lead. Lead hazards in a child’s environment must be identified and controlled or removed safely.

How are children exposed to lead?

Lead-based paint and lead contaminated dust are the main sources of exposure for lead in U.S. children. Lead-based paints were banned for use in housing in 1978. All houses built before 1978 are likely to contain some lead-based paint. However, it is the deterioration of this paint that causes a problem. Approximately 24 million housing units have deteriorated leaded paint and elevated levels of lead-contaminated house dust. More than 4 million of these dwellings are homes to one or more young children.

Who is at risk?

All children under the age of 6 years old are at risk because they are growing so rapidly and because they tend to put their hands or other objects, which may be contaminated with lead dust, into their mouths. However, children living at or below the poverty line who live in older housing are at greatest risk. Additionally, children of some racial and ethnic groups and those living in older housing are disproportionately affected by lead.

What can be done to prevent exposure to lead?

It is important to determine the construction year of the house or the dwelling where your child may spend a large amount of time (e.g., grandparents or daycare). In housing built before 1978, assume that the paint has lead unless tests show otherwise.

Talk to your state or local health department about testing paint and dust from your home for lead.

Make sure your child does not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.

Pregnant women and children should not be present in housing built before 1978 that is undergoing renovation.They should not participate in activities that disturb old paint or in cleaning up paint debris after work is completed.

Create barriers between living/play areas and lead sources. Until environmental clean-up is completed, parents should clean and isolate all sources of lead. They should close and lock doors to keep children away from chipping or peeling paint on walls. You can also apply temporary barriers such as contact paper or duct tape, to cover holes in walls or to block children’s access to other sources of lead.

Regularly wash children’s hands and toys. Hands and toys can become contaminated from household dust or exterior soil. Both are known lead sources.

Regularly wet-mop floors and wet-wipe window components. Because household dust is a major source of lead, parents should wet-mop floors and wet-wipe horizontal surfaces every 2-3 weeks. Windowsills and wells can contain high levels of leaded dust. They should be kept clean. If feasible, windows should be shut to prevent abrasion of painted surfaces or opened from the top sash.

Rhode Island in February 2006 won a jury verdict that could have forced the three companies, including the Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams Co., to spend billions of dollars removing lead paint from homes and buildings in the state.

The state Supreme Court threw out the verdict in 2008, and the companies asked for the state to reimburse them for legal expenses.

But Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein denied that request, saying the lawsuit was brought in good faith and focused public attention on problems associated with lead-based paint, which can cause reduced intelligence and even brain damage in children who ingest flakes or dust from it and was banned for U.S. residential use in 1978. The judge said ordering the companies to be reimbursed could deter the state from bringing public health lawsuits in the future.

The expenses include the costs of depositions, trial transcripts and copying documents, but they don’t apply to lawyers’ fees. The companies, which also include Dallas-based NL Industries Inc. and Millennium Holdings LLC, have not said how much they spent on the case, though the state earlier submitted a bill for $1.9 million.

State law allows the winning side of a lawsuit to recoup costs, though at the judge’s discretion.

A spokesman for Sherwin-Williams had no immediate comment, and lawyers for Millennium Holdings and NL Industries did not immediately return phone messages.

Attorney Fidelma Fitzpatrick, who represented the state, said the judge’s ruling validated the lawsuit, even though it was ultimately unsuccessful.

“The entire purpose of this lawsuit was to protect children from lead poisoning and to ensure that kids didn’t end up with these terrible repercussions of lead poisoning,” she said.

Rhode Island in 1999 became the first state to sue former lead paint manufacturers. It also is the only state to win a jury verdict against the companies.