Lead Based Paint
In
1996, Title X Federal legislation became effective, requiring (among
other things) that prospective home purchasers be made aware of the
possibility of lead-based paint in houses built prior to 1978.
The seller must disclose whether he or she knows of the presence of
lead-based paint. Testing is at your option. According
to this law, the presence of any lead-based paint in a building does
not require that any remedial action be taken. Current guidelines
generally suggest that intact lead paint be left alone unless there
are elevated levels of lead in the blood or another critical risk factor.
Lead-based paint becomes a problem if children eat or breathe the paint chips or dust. This causes an increased level of lead in the bloodstream, which has many serious health effects. These effects are generally most serious in younger children. Doctors often test lead levels in blood for children under the age of six. Only if these test results are high is any action mandated by local health departments. Click here for photos of surfaces painted with lead .
It
is not just peeling lead-based paint that is a hazard. If there
is lead-based paint on window or door frames, the operation of the windows
or doors can cause lead-containing particles to be released. A
child could eat or breathe these lead-containing particles. For
example, if lead-containing dust settles on a toy, a child playing with
that toy is at increased risk. There is also a risk of lead contamination
from drinking water or objects that contain lead.
You should read the lead disclosure brochure that should be provided to you by the real estate broker (or seller if there is no real estate broker) and make your own choice as to how to proceed.
You should arrange with an environmental testing service to testing for the presence of lead paint. For more information on lead, visit the National Safety Council lead information page , the EPA lead information web site , or the EPA brochure on Lead Poisoning and Your Family .
To
setup an appointment with Heimer Engineering PC for a home inspection, building inspection, condominium inspection,
coop inspection, or Professional Engineering consultation, to find out about other
Professional Engineering
services offered, or for more information, call us anytime at 718.544.3000,
212.563.4777, 516.487.2100, 631.858.5500, 914.576.6100, 845.638.4900, or 800.605.1500
or you can click here to contact us 24/7
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