Health SafetyLisa Johnson's House and Home - Articles on Home, Family, and Living
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Home Health Safety |
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Lisa Johnson's House and Home - Articles on Home, Family, and Living |
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Ten or twenty years ago, lead and asbestos were all over the place, literally and metaphorically. Not only were they oozing out of paint and falling out of walls, but they were filling up scare-story column inches in most newspapers around the world. Then all the governments intervened and cleaned everything up nicely and now we're all safe apart from organophosphates, the depletion of the ozone layer, and international terrorists. Or are we? In actual fact, if your home is over 20 years old and has not been extensively remodeled or repainted, the chances are it will contain lead and or asbestos to some degree. But using poisonous materials is not something an entire industry does frivolously (apart from cigarette manufacturers, of course), so why were these substances used in the first place and what sort of damage to they do? Lead PoisoningLead was used in paint throughout the 20th Century, either in the form of lead carbonate, a white pigment, or as a drying agent. In fact, right up to the Fifties, paint often contained as much as 50 per cent lead, and its use continued throughout the Seventies albeit in lower concentrations. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) it is estimated that lead-based paint was applied to approximately 66 per cent of the houses built in the US before 1940; 33 per cent of the houses built between 1940 and 1960; and to a smaller but significant portion of houses built since 1960. The toxic effects of lead arise from the inhalation of lead particles as paint deteriorates, and from children and animals consuming paint flakes. Anyone can be affected by lead poisoning and lead has a nasty habit of accumulating in bones and fatty tissues until it is released all at once (the reasons are complicated and beyond the scope of this article) causing acute lead poisoning even in individuals who are regularly exposed to low levels of lead. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning with symptoms ranging from the stunting of a child's intellectual development through to permanent damage to the central nervous system, the kidneys, and red blood cells. Low levels of lead have also been linked with high blood pressure, fatigue, behavioural changes, and gastrointestinal disturbances. Lead based paints pose a very real health hazard and if your pre-1970 home hasn't been completely repainted or redecorated, you may wish to check for the presence of lead. The best way to go about this is to get in the professionals - although in many areas you can just go to your local hardware shop and buy a lead testing kit. Get in touch with your local health or environmental service for advice and information about testing labs and the best way to proceed. Once tested, if you do find lead, take care when renovating as sanding or blowtorching can produce dust and toxic fumes. It is far safer to simply seal up the old paint if it is not flaking or crumbling with a new coat. Make sure you remove any dust by sanding the old paint down first with wet sandpaper and dispose of the water carefully. You should also encourage children to wash their hands before eating, ensure that they do not eat pain chips, and do not consume soil that may be lead contaminated. Lead also commonly occurs in drinking water, which makes about as much sense as putting cyanide in sandwiches. So why is it there? Again, it comes down to the ignorance of our forefathers. Lead-based solder and to a lesser extent lead pipes were, until recently, in common use. The combination of copper pipes and lead solder can lead to very high levels of lead in drinking water. In actual fact, even with today's high environmental standards regarding drinking water, most modern plumbing appliances such as taps (faucets) can cause lead to be present at low levels in drinking water. In order to avoid lead in drinking water, you can either have the water sampled and tested at a laboratory or follow the simple step of running your tap for 30 seconds before using the water for drinking or cooking. This is because lead accumulates at higher levels in static water. If you are worried about water conservation, save it for the garden or houseplants. You should also avoid filling kettles or pans from the hot tap as lead leaches into hot water pipes more easily than cold water pipes. Asbestos PoisoningAsbestos has been in wide use in construction and architecture for some time for a variety of reasons. The fibrous material is lightweight yet durable, a fire retardant, a good insulator, and extremely versatile. It is also a killer responsible for 3,000 deaths per year in the UK, with the figure expected to rise to 10,000 because of the delay between contamination and diagnosis and there is no cure. Many of these asbestos victims worked in building trades. They were carpenters, joiners, shopfitters, plumbers, electricians, etc. They were exposed to asbestos dust in their day-to-day work with asbestos materials or because work with asbestos was carried out near them. Asbestos is a carcinogen - that is, it causes cancer. Asbestos fibres lodge in the lungs and concentrates with repeated exposure and thus causes cancer of the lungs and stomach of people who experience prolonged exposed to the substance. The effects of lower exposures in the home are less well documented, but any exposure to the fibres can be considered dangerous. Like lead, you are at greater risk the older your house is. Health issues arise when age, accidental damage, construction, or remodeling causes asbestos to crumble or flake in houses built before the mid-Eighties. Newer homes pose less risk, but asbestos can still occasionally be found in and around pipes and furnaces, in ceiling tiles, roofing, and shingles. If you are at all concerned, again like lead, you should consider getting the professionals in to survey the home and take samples. In addition, the manufacturer of a product may be able to tell you whether the product contains asbestos. You should certainly not undertake extensive remodeling work on an older house without having a professional examine the house for the presence of asbestos. In the main, you should leave any asbestos you find alone unless it shows signs of wear. If you are planning any remodeling work that might damage the asbestos, it may be time to hire a trained contractor. Ask your local health authority or environmental office for information on licensed contractors. - Matt Leppard |
Suggested Links · Lead Poisoning Prevention Outreach
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Asbestos and Lead Poisoning - Are you at Risk?