If you are thinking about purchasing a home that has lead paint present, you might not think that it will be a big deal to scrape away the old paint, prime the walls and add a new coat of paint. However, it's really not that simple. If you are going to buy the home, it is important to hire a professional lead paint removal service.
This is important for a few reasons. First of all, you have to think about your own safety. Although wearing a mask and gloves can help protect you, you could still put yourself at risk of harm from the lead paint or lead dust by removing it yourself. You could also mistakenly leave some behind, putting your whole family at risk after move-in. By hiring a professional, you can help keep yourself safe.
There are also regulations that have to be followed when it comes to lead paint removal, such as EPA regulations. As an average home buyer, you might not know what to do to remain compliant with these regulations.
Lastly, you may be able to negotiate with the home seller if you have a professional handle the lead paint issue. Once someone comes in and gives a quote for the removal, you may be able to have the home seller pay the price or reduce the price of the home. It's a great bargaining tool that might not work quite as well if you attempt to do the work yourself.
The presence of lead paint should not prevent you from buying the house of your dreams. However, for these reasons and more, you should remember that lead paint removal is not a do-it-yourself project. Instead, work with a professional lead paint removal company to ensure that the job is done effectively.
Potential Safety Hazards During Lead Paint Removal
Dealing with the removal of lead paint from a building can be dangerous, and requires specialized knowledge and training.
Health Risks
Accidentally ingesting lead paint chips or even just breathing in lead dust created when removing the paint can lead to symptoms of lead poisoning, including headaches, hearing problems, muscle and joint pain, high blood pressure, trouble with digestion, reproductive problems, and loss of memory and concentration. Long term exposure can lead to damage to the brain and nervous system, reduction in I.Q. levels, learning disorders, behavioral problems, and slowed growth, especially in children. Our trained experts can help to safely remove lead paint from your home or business.
The Law
The RCRA, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, outlines the framework for solid waste management, including hazardous materials, such as lead-based paints. These programs were developed by the EPA. The EPA provides training and certified renovator credentials to individuals and businesses who have completed their safety program. We are a lead-safe certified firm.
OSHA mandates that safe working conditions and techniques are used to protect the health of workers in areas where they may be exposed to lead. They can recommend processes that cause less dust to be aroused, such as vacuum blast cleaning, wet abrasive blast cleaning, shrouded power tool cleaning, or chemical stripping to substitute for open abrasive blast cleaning. Other techniques include isolation, where a sealed containment structure is erected to protect the workers and the environment, and ventilation, which is useful for larger areas that are difficult to isolate.
Removing lead paint is best left to the experts. Please contact us for more information.