Older homes - lead paint question

[Anonymous]

For those of you that live in older homes (pre 1980), do you worry about lead paint and the effects on your young children? DH thinks I'm overthinking this, but we've tried to avoid older homes since we had DS (now 3). #2 is on the way and we're looking at a home built in the 60's - great location, size, and price, my only concern is the age of the house with possible lead paint. Thoughts or opinions?

[Anonymous]

No, I don't worry. It is only a problem if they are going to be eating lead chips.

[Anonymous]

I would only worry if the paint was peeling or flaking or otherwise in disrepair.

[Anonymous]

I don't worry about it as long as she isn't peeling it off and eating it. I had a lead inspector come in and he told me that it usually only is in the areas where the windows and doors are so if something is peeling to address it.

[Anonymous]

Nope. And 60s houses are generally okay - they started phasing out lead in the 40s and 50s I think. Make sure the paint is in good repair, get the house tested, and then if you still worry have your DC's blood tested.

[Anonymous]

I live in a 1908 house with lead paint. Several windowsills had chipping/peeling paint due to some water damage--but large chips, the kind you'd have to manually peel off. I removed the paint (following basic EPA guidelines on lead paint removal) when my son was not quite 1.5; his blood lead level test was 0.01 at just over 1 year and the same again at 2. We put one of those foam table-edge covers on one windowsill that has intact/non-peeling paint but which we thought he might chew on, since it was right at face level when he was about 1-2. It's full of bite marks, so I'm glad I did!

The biggest risk really is windows and doors, as in original painted windows where the lead paint rubs against the frame and creates dust every time you open and shut them. Same for doors. If windows have been replaced at some point in the last 40 (or more) years, there is very little to worry about. Even if you do have original windows, you can help mitigate exposure by wet moping floors and washing hands before eating.

I wouldn't rule out a house because of the possible presence of lead paint. It's honestly not that big of a deal in most cases.

[Anonymous]

I was worried about lead in our 1935 home when we moved in with a toddler. We knew there was lead in the house but took steps to reduce the odds of DS coming into contact with it. We ultimately ended up replacing all the windows (which was pricey), because the friction when the windows were opened and closed was likely to create lead dust. You can buy home testing kits to check out windowsills and doors, or you can hire a pro to investigate for you. I think there are probably fewer concerns with a 1960's house, but I would probably do a little investigating if I were you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in a 1908 house with lead paint. Several windowsills had chipping/peeling paint due to some water damage--but large chips, the kind you'd have to manually peel off. I removed the paint (following basic EPA guidelines on lead paint removal) when my son was not quite 1.5; his blood lead level test was 0.01 at just over 1 year and the same again at 2. We put one of those foam table-edge covers on one windowsill that has intact/non-peeling paint but which we thought he might chew on, since it was right at face level when he was about 1-2. It's full of bite marks, so I'm glad I did!

The biggest risk really is windows and doors, as in original painted windows where the lead paint rubs against the frame and creates dust every time you open and shut them. Same for doors. If windows have been replaced at some point in the last 40 (or more) years, there is very little to worry about. Even if you do have original windows, you can help mitigate exposure by wet moping floors and washing hands before eating.

I wouldn't rule out a house because of the possible presence of lead paint. It's honestly not that big of a deal in most cases.

PP, would you mind saying what type of foam table-edge covers you mean or where you got it? I sort of know what you mean but what I'm thinking of is small and wouldn't fit over a window ledge....

[Anonymous]

15:45, I think this is what we used: http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?sku=17506510&

It doesn't fit over the entire windowsill, just the tempting, chewable edge, but is big enough that if/when he took a bite, he was getting all foam and no windowsill/paint.

[Anonymous]

By the 1960's, they were using a lot less lead on houses and even then typically on the outside (trim; exterior window sills; window frames; door frames; brick facades). It's possible you have some inside in a post-1950 house, but it's much less likely than in pre-1950 houses.

Keep in mind that even if you buy a new construction house, there is still lead in the environment that you can track into the house on the soles of your shoes. Also, if your neighbor has a contractor sanding lead paint, it can settle on your house, car, etc. And of course, if your kid goes to the library, preschool, daycare, etc., he may be exposed there. Or by chewing on something made in China. Which is all to say that it's great you are thinking about the issue, but try not to get too carried away.

[Anonymous]

Nope. And 60s houses are generally okay - they started phasing out lead in the 40s and 50s I think. Make sure the paint is in good repair, get the house tested, and then if you still worry have your DC's blood tested.

This. Lead paint was not sold after 1950; the 1978 line was to account for any paint that was still on the shelves of homes and stores. It would be rare that a house built in the 60s would ever have had lead paint in it. Ask your home inspector.

[Anonymous]

1) Lead is a problem even if you don't see any paint chips or flaking paint. Windowsills and doorframes that have lead paint result in invisible lead dust when the parts rub up against each other. Lead ingested in very small quantities is harmful. Kids touch things and then put their hands and toys that have picked up lead dust in their mouths, which is a much more common source of lead poisoning than eating paint chips.

2) You need to be concerned about lead paint in any pre-1978 home, although it became less common as time went on.


3) If your dream house has a bit of lead paint under lots of other paint, it's not a problem unless it's somewhere where the paint has been rubbing off.

4) It's easy to test for lead. Either hire someone to do this or buy kits in hardware stores where you take samples and either ship them to a lab for testing (total cost is about $50 per sample plus extra to get results in 2 days) or buy the strips that change color when lead is detected. The ones you send to a lab give you the parts per million of lead present in the sample, which is good to know to see how much lead is present in your household dust that your kids are exposed to.

[Anonymous]

P.S. Lead is present in small quantities virtually in all household dust from outdoor sources, so don't freak out if you have 5 parts per million of lead in your dust. The EPA or HUD has established acceptable levels of lead, but of course, lower is better.

Environmental Health Watch (ehw.org) is a good source for more info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:45, I think this is what we used: http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?sku=17506510&

It doesn't fit over the entire windowsill, just the tempting, chewable edge, but is big enough that if/when he took a bite, he was getting all foam and no windowsill/paint.

thanks, PP!

[Anonymous]

resurrecting this thread with a similar question. my pediatrician is on me to get my house tested for lead paint. the house is 100 years old; i assume there is lead paint somewhere. but we take precautions - keeping the paint in good shape and dusting the windowsills, etc, at least once a week. oh, and the previous owner replaced the windows; so there's probably less hazard there, if any. is there any benefit to doing the testing? would a lead remediation expert likely advise any remediation measures other than what we are already doing? anyone know? i guess i would at least know for sure where the lead paint is.