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Note: This Instructional Module information comes from our Training Manual. The complete Training Manual can be ordered from our Program and comes with a video, transparency masters, module publications, and many other educational resources.Module Learning Objectives
Support Publications
Additional Resources
Video (See "IAQ Video Sampler" included with the manual)
Notes to the Program Leader:Lead poisoning and prevention have received increased media attention in recent years. Lead poisoning has been described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the most common and socially devastating environmental disease of young children. Recent research has provided important insights. We have learned that very small amounts of lead, once thought harmless, can profoundly affect the developing brain in young children. Without any obvious outward signs, tiny amounts of lead reduce IQ levels, and cause learning difficulties and behavioral problems.The other important thing we have learned about lead poisoning is that hand-to-mouth transfer of contaminated dust, through normal mouthing and teething activities, is sufficient to provide a harmful dosage in young children. (Eating of paint chips is not the most common exposure route and affects only a small number of children.) The presence of lead paint in a home does not in itself constitute a hazard. The hazard occurs when the paint wears or is damaged to produce chips and dust. Contaminated soil also creates lead dust. While there are innumerable sources of lead in the environment, this presentation will emphasize only the most common source: contaminated dust. The primary audience includes people living in, buying, leasing,
or selling older homes (pre-1978, especially pre-1950); parents of young
children (less than 6 years) living in older homes; and parents whose children
have elevated blood lead levels. This presentation should take 40-50 minutes.
Script for Transparency #1 LEAD: WHY A PROBLEM? The poisonous properties of lead have been known since antiquity. Benjamin Franklin wrote of illness seen among typesetters and attributed it to their exposure to lead. Since lead is used in a wide variety of materials and products, it is dispersed throughout the environment and there are many opportunities for exposure and poisoning. In recent years, more and more attention has been directed to "small" doses of lead, once thought harmless. As a result, lead was banned from house paint in 1978 and almost completely removed from gasoline. Nationwide health surveys conducted in the late 1970s and the late 1980s show dramatic decreases in blood-lead levels for all segments of the population. However, research also done in the '80s and '90s shows that serious damage can be done by blood-lead levels once thought harmless, without any obvious warning signs. Young children are especially at risk for these health problems, which include delayed development, reading and learning difficulties, lowered IQ, hyperactivity, and discipline problems. It only requires a few grains of lead-contaminated dust, eaten (or inhaled) on a regular basis, to cause these problems. In some places, and in and around some homes, soil and house dust are contaminated with lead. Children's health can be impaired without parents even being aware. It is estimated that three-quarters of the nation's houses built before 1978 have at least some lead-based paint, with those homes built before the 1950s likely to have high amounts. Properly managed, this paint poses little immediate risk. If allowed to deteriorate or if disturbed, however, lead from the paint or lead dust can cause serious hazards. This presentation provides some details about the problem of lead hazards
and how to avoid or minimize them.
Script for Transparency #2 SOURCES OF LEAD POISONING Due to the widespread uses of lead in the past, there are numerous sources
of lead in the environment. For most households, and for most children,
the major source of lead is contaminated dust. The most important sources
of lead contamination of dust are from old paint and from leaded gasoline
(now banned for most uses). Near major traffic corridors, soils are sometimes
heavily contaminated from the prior use of leaded gas. (As an element,
lead does not decompose, and it tends to stay in place over the years.)
If this soil is tracked into the house, it becomes an important health
hazard. Other minor sources can contain lead as well, such as older, vinyl
mini-blinds.
Script for Transparency #2A Play areas with lead contamination can be an important source of exposure due to hand-to-mouth activity. Frequent handwashing is especially important. Landscaping (grass, dense shrubs) can keep kids from coming in direct contact with contaminated soils. Soils of lands used as orchards in the 1940s may also be contaminated with lead (and arsenic) from pesticides used during that era. Prior to 1950, paint contained as much as 50% lead. This percentage was reduced in later years, and lead paint was banned from residential use in 1978. Lead paint in good condition poses little risk, although friction surfaces (windows, doors, floors, and stairs) are a concern. Paint that is peeling or deteriorating is especially risky. As a general rule, the older the home, the greater the risk of lead paint. Occupants' poverty level and the house's disrepair are also strong predictors of a lead hazard. "Chewable surfaces" (e.g., child-accessible window sills, projecting moldings, painted knobs and handles, etc.) in homes with young children are also a concern if lead-based paint is present. Some remodeling activities can produce heavy contamination if lead paint is involved. It is imperative that such work be done with an awareness of this possibility and with appropriate measures taken to control and contain lead paint chips and dust (a "good cleanup" may not be sufficient) to protect both workers and occupants. As of June 1999, contractors must provide occupants with a pamphlet on lead poisoning hazards if the work will disturb more than two square feet of paint in pre-1978 housing. We will talk more about lead paint and remodeling in the next overhead. Water is another potential source of lead. Contaminated water usually occurs from lead in solder, fixtures, and piping in the home. Overall, the EPA estimates that about 10% of total lead intake is from water. Naturally soft water is more likely to leach lead from the home's plumbing than hard water. Consult the resource booklet Sources of Lead in the Environment (included in this module) for extensive listings of lead sources in the environment. One interesting note is that there is no lead in a "lead" pencil!
Script for Transparency #3 LEAD-BASED PAINT AND REMODELING In 1996, federal regulations were instituted requiring property sellers and landlords to disclose known lead hazards in housing built before 1978. Remodelers should be cautioned to keep accurate records of lead testing or remediation. As of June 1999, according to the federally regulated Lead-Based Paint Pre-Renovation Education (Lead PRE) Rule, remodeling contractors who will be disturbing more than 2 square feet of lead-based paint in pre-1978 housing are required to disclose the risks of lead to their clients. The main part of the Lead PRE Rule requires remodeling contractors to distribute the lead pamphlet, Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home (included in this module), to home owners and occupants before starting renovation work. For more information, see the fact sheet, EPA Releases Final Rule Requiring Distribution of Lead Hazard Information Prior to Renovations (included in this module), or you can also contact the National Lead Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-424-LEAD. Note to the Program Leader: More information about lead paint
and remodeling activities can be found in the "Hidden Environmental Hazards
for the Home Remodeler" module.
Script for Transparency #4 HEALTH EFFECTS Lead is a poison with no known useful function in the body. It can harm systems throughout the body in both adults and children. The most important health finding about lead in recent years is that even small doses, once thought harmless, can cause serious damage, especially in young children, without any evident symptoms. In 1992, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention substantially modified its earlier recommended "Intervention Level" for blood-lead. The previous standard of 25 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dl) of blood was revised to recommend regular screening at 10 mcg/dl and monitoring and environmental investigation at 15-19 mcg/dl, with more forceful actions above this range. As mentioned before, small doses of lead in children affect the developing nervous system causing delayed development, lowered IQ, reading and learning problems, hyperactivity, and discipline problems. Larger doses can affect adults as well as children and can cause problems such as high blood pressure, anemia, kidney trouble, and reproductive disorders. Convulsions and death can also occur, but these are rare. Lead tends to accumulate in the body, and its harmful effects are mostly
irreversible.
Script for Transparency #5 LEAD AND CHILDREN Young children (up to about 6 years old) are especially at risk for lead exposure. There are several reasons for this. Frequent hand-to-mouth activity of young children provides an important path for ingestion of lead dust. Moreover, children's digestive tracts absorb a significant proportion of lead in comparison to adults. Perhaps most importantly, the period of rapid growth and development in the early years of life leaves the body's systems highly vulnerable to the effects of toxins. The most important route of exposure is unintentional ingestion of
lead dust through teething and other hand-to-mouth activities.
Script for Transparency #6 IDENTIFICATION/DETECTION CHILDREN: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children up to age 6 be tested for blood-lead. This is especially important for those living in older homes, deteriorated homes, urban areas, high traffic corridors, and with other risk factors. HOMES: Do-it-yourself (DIY) test kits are available at home centers, paint stores, ceramics supply outlets, etc., but their sensitivity is limited. Also, these tests cannot distinguish between low and high levels of lead and it may be difficult to get accurate readings on surfaces with multiple levels of paint. There is an important distinction between the presence of lead paint
and a lead paint hazard. A hazard poses an immediate threat, while paint
in good condition might pose a hazard at some time in the future. For this
reason, HUD has defined a detailed procedure for risk assessment. This
involves examining many painted surfaces in the home, evaluating the condition
of paint, and measuring lead dust concentrations. As an alternative to
DIY measures, occupants might consider using a testing laboratory to analyze
paint and dust samples for lead content. Homes built before 1978 may have
some lead paint. There is a good probability that a home built before about
1950 will have high levels of lead paint.
Script for Transparency #7 REMEDIATION This is a long and complex topic. Approaches to dealing with a lead
poisoning hazard range from temporary, partial measures that reduce immediate
exposure, to total abatement -- complete removal -- to (hopefully) ensure
that no further exposure occurs in that home. Remediation costs can range
from several hundred dollars for some temporary measures to tens of thousands
of dollars to remove all lead paint from a typical house.
Script for Transparency #8 SIMPLE MEASURES TO REDUCE LEAD HAZARDS The simplest measures for controlling exposure to lead involve dust control via frequent damp mopping/dusting. Use of a conventional vacuum cleaner disperses finer dust particles back into the room. Therefore, don't vacuum unless you can get access to a special high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum -- some health departments loan these out. In recent years, high performance and HEPA vacs have appeared in the retail market, targeted toward allergy sufferers. Also, it is possible to buy high performance filters (almost meeting HEPA standards) for shop vacuums. Loose paint chips can be picked up with duct tape. Good nutrition will
reduce absorption of lead. Frequent washing of children's hands and toys
will reduce exposure as well. It is extremely important to avoid sanding,
scraping, or burning lead paint (or any other activities that will generate
significant amounts of dust). Small areas (1-2 square feet per room,
or within 1 foot of electrical outlets) may be sanded with minimal risk
if done properly. Sanding large areas without the proper training, equipment,
and precautions can create major problems in the home. Remodeling can create
serious contamination if lead paint is disturbed (see Reducing Lead
Hazards When Remodeling Your Home, included in this module).
Script for Transparency #9 PERMANENT MEASURES Measures to permanently eliminate lead dust hazards include component removal and replacement (windows and moldings, for example), paint removal (by qualified personnel), and covering surfaces with materials such as drywall. During substantial remediation activities, children and pregnant or nursing women should live elsewhere until the site passes "clearance" inspection. (In a recent study, lead debris found on the floor after poorly performed window replacements was two hundred times greater than acceptable limits.) Except for the most elementary measures, dealing with lead is an extremely
complex task best left to professionals. Implementation may be affected
by local regulations. Finding the money to pay for these measures, especially
in low income housing, remains a major problem. Further details of what
consumers should know about these issues can be found in the EPA resource
booklet, Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home (include
in this module).
Script for Transparency #10 LEAD AND REAL ESTATE Federal legislation affects the sale and rental of nearly all residential properties built before 1978, the year when lead was banned from residential paint. While there are numerous provisions and details to this law, known as Title X, the most important parts involve "disclosure" of lead hazards. Property sellers or landlords are required to disclose information on
known lead hazards in their buildings (e.g., data from prior testing).
Buyers are given 10 days to have lead hazard testing conducted at their
own expense. Sellers or landlords are also required to provide the buyer/renter
with the EPA/CPSC pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home
(included in this module), which describes the lead poisoning issue. This
is a very brief summary of a few highlights of a detailed piece of legislation.
The final regulation is published in the Federal Register of March 6, 1996,
pp 9064-9088. For a useful summary of Title X, call the Alliance to End
Childhood Lead Poisoning at (202) 543-1147.
Script for Transparency #11 MOST IMPORTANT TO KNOW Some key facts about lead poisoning:
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