The Houston Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program provides services which assist lower-income households in identifying, removing, or stabilizing lead-based paint hazards at no cost to the client. The overall goal of the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control program is to provide lead-safe housing to the residents of City of Houston, especially those households with children under the age of 6.

The Centers for Disease Control reports: “Today, childhood lead poisoning is considered the most preventable environmental disease among young children, yet approximately half a million U.S. children have blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter, the reference level at which CDC, recommends public health actions be initiated. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC are committed to eliminating this burden to public health.” The CDC reports that today at least 4 million households have children living in them that are being exposed to high levels of lead.

James M. Barthel, creator of ECOBOND® - Lead Defender® stated, “We enthusiastically embrace a mission of restoring our environment and protecting children and families from the hazards of lead with our patented lead paint treatment technology. We are pleased that it is now being recommend for use to the approved construction contractors recommended by the City of Houston Health Department.”

 source: Globenewswire

Barthel made the strategic decision to add Bitrex® Bitterant Technology, which is the bitterest substance known, to their lead paint treatment product, ECOBOND® to reduce accidental ingestion of potentially harmful materials. This creates an added safety barrier to further protect children from lead poisoning by reducing the amount of paint chips or dust a child may ingest.

About ECOBOND® Paint LLC :

ECOBOND® Paint is the Premier Provider of Environmental Products focused on protecting human health from the dangers of lead, smoke and odors. Enjoy peace of mind from the dangers of lead paint when uou use our proven & patented ECOBOND® family of Environmental Paints.

In our Lead Defender formula, Bitrex® creates an added safety barrier to further protect children from lead poisoning by reducing the amount of paint chips or dust a child may ingest. Bitrex® is the bitterest substance known and is added to ECOBOND® to reduce accidental ingestion of potentially harmful materials. Learn how ECOBOND® - Lead Defender® is different than Encapsulants and is a Lead-Based Paint Treatment Download free Industry Report: http://www.LeadPaintTreatment.com

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In 2015, Flint Michigan hit the media headlines across the nation, begging the world to notice and take action on behalf of the city's children who were being poisoned by high levels of lead in the water. With no intent to diminish the severity of danger in Flint, it is only fair to mention the widespread conditions of lead toxicity that hundreds and thousands are facing throughout the United States.

It's Not Time to Ignore the Danger

In the 1970s, manufacturers began dropping the use of lead in paint and gasoline; this resulted in a 90% decrease of lead poisoning across the nation; but according to an article on Public Radio International, children from over 3,800 neighborhoods in the United States still have blood lead levels that double those of the children in Flint; another article claims that around a third of these neighborhoods even produced blood lead levels as much as 4 times higher!

Many of these neighborhoods are historic areas that date back to the years when lead paint and plumbing was standard. Often in attempt to preserve historic accuracy, well-meaning parents retain original wallpaper, paint, or appliances that put their children at serious risks; steps are only taken to remedy the problem when the children are admitted into the hospital and lead poisoning is exposed.

Unlike Flint, most of these communities remain unnoticed by the media and are far less likely to receive funding to make the necessary changes in regard to lead safety. Nevertheless, it is time for home and business owners to take the dangers of lead poisoning seriously and be responsible for their part in restoring a safe environment for society, especially for the children.

Lead Paint Continues to Present a Danger to Families

Lead paint remains a potential danger for renters and homeowners whose houses were built before 1978. Although the federal government banned consumer usage of lead paint forty years ago, many old houses and housing communities continue to be at risk today. Low-income areas are particularly high-risk, as poor maintenance or improper care when remodeling can result in dangerous levels of lead exposure.

Lead poisoning is dangerous for people of all ages, but it is especially risky for children. People who have or are looking to start families should be especially wary of the dangers posed by lead poisoning. Chips and dust from lead paint are among the leading causes of lead poisoning in children. According to Michael Pell, a member of the Reuters team who researched US-based lead poisoning in 2016, there is no safe amount of lead in a child's blood system. Lead poisoning is especially dangerous for children under the age of six. It can cause damage to a child's hearing, kidneys, muscles, bones, and nervous system; it can also be a source of learning disabilities, speech and language difficulties, and behavioral problems.

There are a number of things people can do to ensure their household is protected from paint-based lead poisoning. Home tests can check for the presence of lead. If you do have lead paint in your house, keep painted surfaces well-maintained to avoid hazards such as chipping or paint dust. You can paint over it, if you're careful not to disturb the paint with sanding or scraping. If your house requires repairs or renovations, it is best to hire EPA- or state-approved contractors who are certified lead-safe. It is not recommended that homeowners remove lead paint themselves, as they may inadvertently expose themselves--or their children--to the very thing they are trying to avoid.

Why Are Children More at Risk?

Small children are more likely to suffer from lead poisoning due to their tendency to put things in their mouths such as chipped paint, or contaminated soil. Infants and toddlers are at crucial developmental stages as well, and neural growth can be negatively affected by lead in the blood. 

Lead poisoning must be avoided at any stage of life, and we must be diligent in continually raising awareness of the sources of lead on the home-front until every child in America is safe from its threat.

How Exactly Children Are Exposed to Lead Based Paint

Many think lead-based paint is only harmful to young children, but its exposure is dangerous at all ages. It is important to know that lead exposure has much higher consequences in children though because they are still developing. While parents, landlords, homeowners, public buildings, schools, and more have all taken efforts to reduce or eliminate lead exposure, it still presents a serious issue today.

Paint dust or paint chips can enter through ingestion or inhalation. This happens when painted surfaces become disturbed, which can occur through day to day activity. Paint dust settles into floors and various surfaces. Paint ultimately chips off walls and becomes part of the house dust. This can contaminate the dust a house accumulates which can then be inhaled. It can also enter through typical hand to mouth activity. Children have a greater exposure to lead in these situations due to their natural habits of putting toys, pacifiers, and other objects in their mouths.

The best course of action to prevent lead exposure in the environment is elimination. Therefore the removal of lead paint has to be through a professional and done properly. A professional can care for the issue in a safe and effective manner, keeping anyone who may be exposed healthy and happy.

ECOBOND® Paint LLC is the Premier Provider of Environmental Products focused on protecting human health from the dangers of lead. Enjoy Peace of Mind from the Dangers of Lead Paint When You Use Our Proven & Patented ECOBOND® Family of Environmental Paints!

Now includes Bitrex® a bitter-tasting additive to discourage oral contact! In our Lead Defender formula, Bitrex® creates an added safety barrier to further protect children from lead poisoning by reducing the amount of paint chips or dust a child may ingest. Bitrex® is the bitterest substance known and is added to ECOBOND® to reduce accidental ingestion of potentially harmful materials.

Learn how ECOBOND® - Lead Defender® is different than Encapsulants and is a Lead-Based Paint Treatment
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You may expect that lead paint in the home is a long-forgotten folly of a bygone era, but you may be surprised. According to a recent article from The New York Daily News, Bronx mother Tiesha Jones has finally been awarded $57 million after NYCHA was proven to have falsified inspection results, testing for lead based paint in her public housing residence. Tragically, this payout will do little to reverse the damage suffered by Tiesha's young daughter Dakota, who was found to have nine times the normal amount of lead in her system at the vulnerable age of four.

Little Dakota has already displayed signs of delayed development and is receiving an individual education plan for special education as a result of some of the effects of lead poisoning. The Mayo Clinic lists a variety of symptoms associated with lead poisoning, ranging from irritability, sluggishness, and difficulty concentrating, hearing loss, seizures, and miscarriages. Chronic exposure to lead potentially leads to irreversible brain damage, as well as damage to the kidneys and nervous system in both children and adults. These are all potential impacts of being exposed to lead but is not always the case.

The use of lead-based paints has been outlawed in the United States since 1978, but the dust and chips of old paint are still the leading source of lead exposure. Children living in older homes may be exposed to some remnants of this paint, even if it has been largely replaced. Adults conducting renovations in any building built before 1978 may be at risk of exposure, and should take precautionary measures to ensure their safety, and that of other residents. The dust from this paint must be contained with the use of wet scraping and wet sanding techniques and use of poly plastic to catch and control the dust. Regular maintenance of any chipping or damaged paint, as well as regular vacuuming and dusting may also go a long way in helping to prevent exposure to lead paint in the home.

Tiesha's story stands to prove that the sanctuary of one's own modern home may not be safe as expected from the harmful legacy of lead paints. Especially for those who are raising a family, it is important to understand the very real risks of lead paint in the home.

We all know that lead is bad for us; we've heard it hundreds of times. However, we may not realize just how serious a threat to the well-being of our loved ones--especially our children--and ourselves, lead is. Lead in the body is distributed in the brain, liver, kidneys, and bones. It is stored in the teeth and bones where it accumulates over time. Children are especially sensitive to lead poisoning as they will naturally absorb close to five times as much lead as an adult, have natural curiosity and hand-to-mouth age-appropriate behavior. This leads to severe learning disabilities and can ultimately cause death, which is why proper lead paint treatment is so important. 

There are other potential health dangers that come along with moving into a home or apartment building that parents need to be aware of.

So, what is the solution?

Whether you are a homeowner or landlord, you will typically have three options when dealing with lead paint: encapsulation, removal, or treatment.

Encapsulation is a viable method for areas that are free of contaminants, cracks, and moisture. They must be applied at a specific humidity and temperature. The disadvantages are that the encapsulant may peel off and expose lead paint, leaks may damage encapsulants, and they require constant maintenance and monitoring to ensure that they are not leaking dangerous lead into the environment.

Treatment

Removing lead paint completely from the home often does take more time and money than encapsulating, but it is a much better long-term solution to lead, especially if children under the age of 6 visit your home or live in your home. Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin, especially to young children. Our lead paint treatment product does more than encapsulate the lead. ECOBOND® - Lead Defender® seals and treats the lead and lead dust in lead-based paint, the molecules in our paint chemically bond to the lead when in contact with it, rendering the threat of airborne particles or damaged surfaces dramatically reduced. That way you know that your family is safer--and you'll save some money looking at thousands of dollars in costly removal fees. And we all know that when you're considering the safety of your family, nothing short of the best will do.   

ECOBOND® Paint LLC is the Premier Provider of Environmental Products focused on protecting human health from the dangers of lead. Enjoy Greater Peace of Mind from the Dangers of Lead Paint When You Use Our Proven & Patented ECOBOND® Family of Environmental Paints! Now includes Bitrex® a bitter-tasting additive to discourage oral contact!

To learn more, view lead paint treatment video or download free Industry Report: http://www.LeadPaintRemovalReport.com

When parents think of lead poisoning, they instantly think of paint chips from lead-based paints. The truth is lead poisoning can also potentially come from lead dust, which can result from renovations. This can easily occur when lead-based paints are chipped, heated or sanded.

Lead dust can affect people from all backgrounds and income levels and according to the EPA, chances are if you live in a home built prior to 1978 you are at a higher risk due to previous years of lead-based paint products that may start to deteriorate which can create lead-contaminated dust….and think of this: typically, it’s the older homes that are the ones renovated the most.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, no safe lead blood level has been defined. The CDC, however, defines "lead poisoning" in children as a blood lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL).  To put this into perspective a grain of sand is roughly 25 micrograms. 

Lead dust can occur in common areas such as: doors, window sills, walls, and porches. These areas need to be handled with extreme care as dusting and vacuuming only circulate the lead dust into the air.

Preventing lead dust during renovations can be achieved by creating barriers from the main living area and wet cleaning the areas once renovations have been done.  Covering holes with contact paper until properly fixed is another technique to reduce lead dust. Disposable respirators rated for dust particles should also be used. If you are living in your home during renovations, it is important to wash hands, toys, or anything else that will come into contact with the mouth as lead dust can settle on many objects. Remember that as you are remodeling your home, you must make sure to inspect the wiring on your electrical outlets to make sure your family is safe.

Ensure precautions are being taken for proper ventilation, but opening windows can cause lead dust to settle into the soil outside. When kids play in the yard, they can be exposed to lead dust.

You must consider the critical nature of fully protecting your family from lead and lead dust. Risk assessment and qualified technicians are better suited for jobs where lead-based items are present and the EPA has a guide to help you: Locate Certified Renovation and Lead Dust Sampling Technician Firms. Additionally, we wrote an article focusing on Addressing Childhood Lead Exposure which includes research and statistics on widespread cases of childhood lead poisoning which will be helpful for you to read as well.

ECOBOND® Paint LLC is the Premier Provider of Environmental Products focused on protecting human health from the dangers of lead. Enjoy Peace of Mind from the Dangers of Lead Paint When You Use Our Proven & Patented ECOBOND® Family of Environmental Paints! Now includes Bitrex® a bitter-tasting additive to discourage oral contact!

Buy Now!