Lead has been a known health hazard since the early 1970s. It was used in many structural items on buildings up until the U.S. government banned lead-based paint in 1978, followed by limitations on its use in gasoline and pipes.
Unfortunately, lead is still a problem in many structures dating to before 1978. Even buildings constructed after that may still contain lead in them. Before you renovate an older building for public use, you need qualified professionals to perform an assessment ahead of lead abatement of any structures that may contain this heavy metal. Keep reading our guide to learn more about where to find lead in older structures and why it needs abatement.
Lead-Based Paint
Lead was widely used throughout history for many reasons. It is abundantly available, has a relatively low melting point, excellent malleability, good corrosion resistance, and is easy to work with.
The most common place people find lead now is in older structures dating to 1978 or before because lead-based paint was widely used. Scientists didn’t sound the alarm until the 1970s, which made governments ban the substance in paint.
You can find lead-based paint on walls, doors, ceilings, trim, window panes, baseboards, railings, and more. And lead-based paint is not just on walls. Lead paint adheres to almost any common substance in a building, such as metal, wood, stone, paper, cloth, leather, and plastic.
Lead was used as a pigment, creating vibrant colors like white, yellow, and red. It made the paint more opaque, meaning people used less of it versus unleaded paint to cover up what they were painting. Lead helped the paint to dry faster. It is also very durable as it resists moisture and maintains a fresh appearance for longer periods of time.
Suffice it to say it was a perfect storm of using lead in paint until studies showed alarming trends in health problems with children.
Lead Dust in the Air From Paint
When our teams abate lead in a building, you will see everyone wearing an EPA-approved HEPA breathing mask. That’s because lead dust can be in the air from paint.
This typically happens when the paint is peeling or chipped and it gets disturbed by movement. Opening and closing a window or door can wear down lead paint, creating lead dust.
Renovations or repair work can cause the same scenario. For example, someone can remove a door or window, which causes chipped or peeling paint to scrape against a surface and stir up lead dust.
After a window or door is open, letting a breeze into the room can stir up peeling or chipped lead paint. Something as simple as vibrations from an appliance, like the HVAC system, refrigerator, washer, or dryer, can cause lead-based paint to come loose.
There are many ways lead-based paint can go airborne, which is why it’s a major health concern in older buildings. When your commercial renovation project starts, professional lead abatement is the only way to ensure any lead paint is removed or encapsulated. We’ll draw up a comprehensive plan for
Lead Pipes
Older buildings could have lead supply lines that move water from the main line into the building. Although lead is sturdy and lasts for a long time, lead pipes can corrode over time, and the heavy metal can enter the building’s water supply.
But the pipes themselves are not the only cause of lead in water. Solder can have lead in it, so where you have a joint of two metal pipes, lead could seep into the water if the solder degrades over time. Brass faucets, valves, and fittings may contain small amounts of lead.
Leaching in the Pipes
Water is supposed to have a neutral pH. However, that’s not always the case. If the water has a lower pH, a low mineral content (soft water), or high levels of dissolved oxygen or chlorine, lead can leach from the pipes into the water through chemical processes.
Stagnant water that sits in lead pipes or fixtures for a long period of time increases the likelihood of lead contamination. So, if your commercial building hasn’t run the water for a while due to staff vacations over the winter holidays, more lead levels could be in the water.
Disturbances to the Pipes
Physical disturbances, like road work or plumbing repairs, can dislodge particles of lead from pipes or solder, increasing lead levels temporarily. Digging into a yard on the property to install an irrigation system can also disturb lead pipes.
If your water has ever shut off and then restarted, like when the building’s plumbing is being repaired, suddenly turning on the water can temporarily cause a rise in lead levels.
Boiling Water Doesn’t Help
Boiling water does not remove lead. It can actually concentrate lead levels as water evaporates, making the contamination worse if you use tap water for drinking or cooking in your commercial building.
Glazed Ceramic Tiles
Lead contamination from glazed ceiling tiles occurs when tiles made with lead-containing glazes or paints release lead particles into the environment. This can happen in a few ways:
Deterioration or Damage
Over time, the glaze on the tiles may crack, peel, or chip, releasing lead-containing dust. Tiles can be on the ceiling or floor. But when the dust releases, it’s very light and can go airborne.
Movement of furniture, vibrations from equipment, or accidental contact can cause the tiles to release lead particles. Then, someone in your building can inhale the dust.
Dust Accumulation
Lead particles or dust from the tiles can accumulate on surfaces. They could go airborne when disturbed (e.g., through cleaning, air circulation, or vibrations).
Activities like vacuuming or sweeping near the tiles may re-suspend settled lead dust into the air. Even if your vacuum collects lead dust, it still might go into the air when someone empties the vacuum in a janitorial closet or trash dumpster.
Renovation or Removal
Renovation work that involves drilling, sawing, or removing glazed ceiling tiles can release significant amounts of lead dust into the air. If the glazed ceramic tiles are broken or demolished, lead-containing particles can spread to many places in the room or on clothing.
Environmental Factors
Changes in temperature or humidity can cause the tiles to deteriorate faster, releasing lead-containing particles. Ventilation systems or fans can spread lead dust from the tiles throughout a room.
Hand-to-Mouth Exposure
Handling damaged or deteriorating tiles can transfer lead dust to hands, which may then be ingested or breathed in. Let’s say an employee’s hand touches a glazed ceramic tile and throws it in the trash. That person could inhale the lead particles or accidentally ingest them if they touch their mouth, such as covering a sneeze.
Lead in the Soil Surrounding the Building
Lead in the soil surrounding a commercial building poses significant environmental and public health risks due to its persistence, toxicity, and potential for exposure. Here’s why it’s a problem:
Direct Human Exposure
People, especially small children, may unintentionally ingest lead-contaminated soil or dust by touching their hands to their mouths after contact with the ground. Think of a doctor’s office, daycare, or school in an old building.
Lead-contaminated soil can become airborne as dust. This could happen in dry or windy conditions or during activities like construction, landscaping, or vehicular traffic.
Soil contaminated with lead can be tracked into buildings on shoes or equipment, leading to indoor exposure. Vacuuming the floor or cleaning the floor might not abate this heavy metal.
Environmental Contamination
Lead in soil can leach into groundwater or be carried by stormwater runoff into nearby rivers, lakes, and wetlands. While this might not pose a problem for water supplies in a large city because of how water-treatment plants decontaminate the water, it does pose a threat to humans using well water or people who catch and eat fish or crayfish.
Plants, including ornamental landscaping and food crops grown in contaminated soil, can absorb lead. If someone eats this plant as a crop or an animal that eats the plants, humans could expose humans and wildlife through the food chain.
Why You Need Professional Lead Abatement
Health hazards of lead abound. It can cause brain damage in people because it accumulates in the body over time. Lead exposure is particularly harmful to children, as it can impair brain development, lower IQ, and cause behavioral problems. Pregnant women exposed to lead may face risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, or developmental issues for the fetus. Adults exposed to lead over time may experience high blood pressure, kidney damage, and neurological issues.
Any lead exposure is not good, so a professional lead abatement company like Environmental Demolition Group can either remove, encapsulate, or seal lead surfaces or soil for a permanent solution that protects the public when your employees or the public enter your building.
Lead abatement represents just one step when it comes to cleaning up a commercial site that has hazardous materials. Our team is specially equipped to abate lead at your site.
Contact Environmental Demolition Group to request a consultation.
