how dangerous is old paint in your house? (lead)

spaceboy

I believe that most paints before the 70s contained lead, so if you have an old house there is likely lead containing paint on walls, skirtings, facings and window frames, perhaps coated over with newer paint. Is it dangerous to sand skirtings etc if they have a coating of leaded paint? I guess even removing the old skirtings would create paint dust in the air?

wallbash

As a young pensioner, surprised any of our generation survived with all the lead/ asbestos stories that the current hi viz health and safety morons like to lecture us on.

We survived.........and so will you.
No danger at all. Will now wait for someone to try and prove me wrong .

ps of course if you are using the old . lead paint /asbestos scare to get you out of a little diy please ignore this post!

Crinkmeister

Wear a muzzle (that's what Mrs Crink calls them!) so that you don't breathe in the dust. Hoover up afterwards and give the schnozz a good blow. That's all good practice anyway.You'll be fine. I have been doing DIY for over thirty years and haven't died yet...

jamespetts

I think that using chemical strippers is recommended for removing lead paint, as dry sanding can create toxic lead dust (and even in the Victorian times, boys working in a railway carriage paint shop who were rubbing down lead paint were made to hold damp cloths over their mouths). You can test for lead paint by obtaining a chemical testing kit.

paddyrg

If you don't regularly lick your skirting boards, you'll be fine! The worst that can happen is that you'll sand the paint into dust which you breathe in - and even then you'll probably still be fine (remember petrol used to contain lead, we breathed in fumes the whole time).

spaceboy

jamespetts wrote: »

I think that using chemical strippers is recommended for removing lead paint, as dry sanding can create toxic lead dust (and even in the Victorian times, boys working in a railway carriage paint shop who were rubbing down lead paint were made to hold damp cloths over their mouths). You can test for lead paint by obtaining a chemical testing kit.

Thanks.

I guess I'm more concerned about my young kids breathing in any dust from the paint. We could be buying an old house which needs some work done to modernise it.

spaceboy

wallbash wrote: »

As a young pensioner, surprised any of our generation survived with all the lead/ asbestos stories that the current hi viz health and safety morons like to lecture us on.

We survived.........and so will you.
No danger at all. Will now wait for someone to try and prove me wrong .

ps of course if you are using the old . lead paint /asbestos scare to get you out of a little diy please ignore this post!

Not everyone survived asbestos. In fact even now around 4000 people a year die of asbestos related illnesses in the UK - often tradesmen like electricians, plumbers, joiners, heating engineers.

wallbash

spaceboy wrote: »

Not everyone survived asbestos. In fact even now around 4000 people a year die of asbestos related illnesses in the UK - often tradesmen like electricians, plumbers, joiners, heating engineers.

Yes , workers, 8 hours a day for years,nearly all dealing with blue asbestos , not found in paint, please find me how many DIY'ers who sand down a skirting board once every 5 years!

I drove along the M3 and the M25 this week, I was therefore statistically in far greater danger than the OP messing about with a piece of wood. Didn't stop me using the motorways.
We are raising a generation that is failing to learn even the basics of DIY ( Homebase is closing some stores it was announced this week)
H/S is just another nail in the diy coffin.

I repeat , the OP is in no danger.

teneighty

spaceboy wrote: »

Thanks.

I guess I'm more concerned about my young kids breathing in any dust from the paint. We could be buying an old house which needs some work done to modernise it.

Just be aware that the main risk is ingestion of the dust not inhalation and the two groups who are far more vulnerable to lead poisoning are children and pregnant women.


If I were you I would read up on the Health and Safety Executive guidance with children in the house. I would certainly make sure the kids were kept away from the work area, dust should be prevented from spreading around the house and settling in kitchen or on food/drink and everyone washes their hands before eating and drinking while you are doing the work. If you take sensible precautions and keep dust to a minimum I'm sure you will all survive.

jamespetts

spaceboy wrote: »

Thanks.

I guess I'm more concerned about my young kids breathing in any dust from the paint. We could be buying an old house which needs some work done to modernise it.

Lead is particularly harmful to children, so better be safe than sorry.

spaceboy

teneighty wrote: »

Just be aware that the main risk is ingestion of the dust not inhalation and the two groups who are far more vulnerable to lead poisoning are children and pregnant women.


If I were you I would read up on the Health and Safety Executive guidance with children in the house. I would certainly make sure the kids were kept away from the work area, dust should be prevented from spreading around the house and settling in kitchen or on food/drink and everyone washes their hands before eating and drinking while you are doing the work. If you take sensible precautions and keep dust to a minimum I'm sure you will all survive.

The main worry with lead is brain damage not survival.