Chicago Home Inspections

Lead Paint

Are you planning to buy a home built before 1978? Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains lead (called lead-based paint). Lead from paint, chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly.

Did you know that Chicago has the Highest number of lead poisioned children in the nation. In many Chicago communities more than 25 % of children are lead poisioned despite the 1978 ban on lead in residential. Children 0-6 years are the greatest risk because of the high levels they retain. Most children are lead poisoned by touching lead contaminated dust or paint chips generated by deterioration paint or remodeling work, and then putting their hands in their mouths. When a child is lead poisoned, the damage is perminant. It can cause learning disabilities,behavioral problems, and language-processing disorders. The good news is, lead posioning is entirely preventable.

Where lead- base paint/dust can be found Lead dust can form when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded, heated ,or when painted surfaces bump or rub together. Lead chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that children may crawl on or touch especilally on surfaces that take a lot of wear and tear such as floors, porches, stairs, doors, door frames/trim, windows, and window sills. Peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking lead-based paint is a hazard and needs immediate attention! Exterior soils around a home may contain lead from deteriorating or peeling paint. Children could possibly ingest or inhale lead dust from the soil when playing in bare soils or track in soils from their shoes. Household dust. Dust can pick up lead from deteriorating lead-based paint or from soil tracked into a home.

How to check your home for lead You can get your home checked in one of two ways, or both A paint inspection tells you the lead content of every different type of painted surface in your home. It won't tell you whether the paint is a hazard or how you should deal with it. A risk assessment tells you if there are any sources of serious lead exposure (such as peeling paint and lead dust). It also tells you what actions to take to address these hazards. Hire a lead certified qualified contractor There are standards in place for certifying lead-based paint professionals to ensure the work is done safely, reliably, and effectively. Trained professionals use a range of methods when checking your home, including:

Visual inspection of paint condition and location. A portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine. Lab tests of paint samples. Surface dust tests. Home test kits for lead are available, but studies suggest that they are not always accurate. Consumers should not rely on these tests before doing renovations or to assure safety.

For more information on lead contamination and testing in your area, see the following links listed below: Contact the Evironmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov

National Lead Information Center (NLIC) to find out about testing your water. water.epa.gov

Contact the Evironmental Protection Agency National Lead Information Center (NLIC) to find out about testing soil for lead.