Lead Frequently Asked Questions

Lead is a highly toxic metal found in small amounts throughout the earth’s crust. Due to its abundance, low cost, high resistance to corrosion, and physical properties, lead and lead compounds have been used in a wide variety of products including paint, ceramics, pipes, solders, gasoline, batteries, and cosmetics. Since 1980, federal and state regulatory standards have been developed to minimize and potentially eliminate the hazardous amount of lead in consumer products and occupational settings.

Today, the most common sources of lead exposure in the United States are lead-based paint in older homes (Pre 1978 Construction), contaminated soil, household dust, drinking water, lead crystal, and lead-glazed pottery. While extreme lead exposure can cause a variety of neurological disorders such as lack of muscular coordination, convulsions and coma, much lower lead levels have been associated with measurable changes in children’s mental development and behavior. These include hyperactivity; deficits in fine motor function, hand-eye coordination, reaction time and lowered performance on intelligence tests. Chronic lead exposure in adults can result in increased blood pressure, decreased fertility, cataracts, nerve disorders, muscle and joint pain, and memory or concentration problems.

Children under the age of six are at the greatest risk for lead poisoning due to their hand to mouth behavior. Lead paint has a sweet taste and is pleasing to young children. Before the age of two, children are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning. They are, of course, more likely than older children to put lead-contaminated hands, toys or paint chips in their mouths. Moreover, a child's gastrointestinal tract also absorbs lead more readily than does an adult’s intestinal tract. Lead poisoning is a deceptive hazard, in which a month-by-month accumulation of lead in a child's body occurs. Very rarely do lead poisoning events occur from one exposure. Please make no mistake; childhood lead poisoning side effects are irreversible. If you have a child which displays any of the aforementioned symptoms you may need to have a risk assessment performed in addition to the inspection process. A certified lead risk assessor should perform this investigation.

A risk assessment identifies:

• Lead-based paint hazards
• How these hazards can be controlled
• The people who live in the home/area who are at risk

Additional Resources:

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• EPA regional office locations
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) - regional and area offices
• Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Hotline: 202-554-1404

There are several different options available once lead containing materials have been identified. You can either abate the lead hazard or utilize interim controls to control it. If the lead containing materials have been identified, but the actual hazard (source of contamination) has not, the consumer, Under Title X (Residential Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992), should assess the risk associated with the identified hazard. During a risk assessment the goal is to identify the lead hazards and determine how best to eliminate or reduce the hazards. You should contact a licensed Lead Firm to acquire more information regarding your options as a homeowner, facility owner/representative, or employer.

There are several different Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved methods for the identification of lead containing materials. Two types of determinations are available in today’s market. You can utilize qualitative or quantitative testing. Furthermore, each method employs either destructive or non-destructive surface interference during the identification process.

Qualitative - The confirmation of the presence of lead in the sample.

Qualitative identification requires the use of an EPA approved swab which contains a chromogen and a water buffer inside of a sealed cotton swab. When the crushable liquid ampules are broken, the chemicals combine to wet the swab. The surface of the material that requires testing is rubbed and if the suspect material is positive for lead, the swab changes color. These swabs do NOT detect lead below the surface of the component tested. If multiple layers of paint are present there can be false negatives. The swabs only detect accessible lead. Qualitative testing is unreliable in case studies. False positive and negative results occur frequently with the swab (qualitative) testing. Professional screening is recommended for the identification of potential lead containing materials.

Quantitative - A precise measurement of a specific level or quantity of lead containing materials an item.

Quantitative testing procedures are exceedingly more reliable than all available qualitative testing methods. The analysis result provides a determinable amount of lead content in the suspect material.

There are currently two available methods for lead identification through quantitative testing, bulk paint chip analysis and X-Ray Florescence (XRF) analysis.

Bulk paint chip analysis requires the inspector to gather paint chips from suspect material in accordance with EPA protocols. This is referred to as destructive identification process. The other form of quantitative identification (XRF) method utilizes a radioactive source to identify to quantity of lead paint in a suspect material. Due to the potential hazards associated with the use of an XRF, a special license and training are required to use an XRF. An XRF employs non-destructive means to quantify the amount of lead presence in a suspect material.

Each Client’s health and safety are Southern Global’s primary concern. We educate our customers allowing them to make the safest and most cost efficient decision for addressing lead hazards. We know that your family’s safety is your chief interest. Lead projects can be expensive and inconvenient. We can provide different options cost effective removal of lead hazards.

Under Title X lead abatement activities include the following:

• Replacement of lead containing material
• Removal, Enclosure and encapsulation
• Cleanup of the lead dust
• Removal or covering of the lead contaminated soil
• Site preparation and cleanup
• Waste disposal
• Final inspection and clearance testing

In the event you do not want to totally remove the lead hazard there are other solutions which can be employed to reduce the hazard temporarily. These solutions are referred to as Interim Controls. Examples of Interim Controls are Education Programs, Special Cleaning, Repairs, Repainting and Maintenance Activities. While all may seem like a solution, these are only methods of concealing the problem.