Lead Paint

Lead Paint

Lead paint is the single largest culprit of childhood lead exposure. It is a constant among the millions of people exposed to lead (Dewalt et al. 1). It is a silent killer that, across the country, sits in “37.1 million homes” as of 2015 (Dewalt et al. 1).
The pervasiveness of white lead paint in American homes reflected consumer desire for conformity. The idea of suburbs with big white houses is one of the representations of the America dream so lead paint was in high demand (Warren, 8). Companies like Carter White Lead and NL Industries marketed their lead-based paint by appealing to (and creating) this consumer desire. They argued that in order to get the most popular white tint, consumers needed to buy lead. They were remarkably successful considering that lead paint is still found in millions of homes today.
As houses deteriorated, however, white lead paint chipped it lead dust entered the air. Paint on the outside of houses chipped and fell around the houses, contaminating the soil. (Chisolm, 236) This happened all over the country contributing to the lead crisis that victimized whole generations of people. Unfortunately, due to racial discrimination and financial inequalities “African Americans and low-income people in the inner city, these groups bore lead hazards disproportionately” (Fredrickson, 7). Children are particularly susceptible to ingesting lead because of its sweet taste. Children’s blood lead levels might even exceed those of lead manufacturing workers after ingesting chips. (Markowitz, Rosner 48). A condition called pica is associated with the urge to ingest lead paint. Even though the production of lead-based paint has been suspended since 1978, many older homes retain their original paint and when it peels, threats reemerge.

Housing rehabilitation is the only thing that can be done to remove the threat of leaded paint. (source) Unsafe ‘rehabilitation’ practices, however, will increase the amount of lead in the environment around the house. According to Chisolm, a proper cleanup protocol will do several things. It begins with a professional inspection by an appropriate institution to identify environmental hazards. Inspectors then classify the level of deterioration that the house exhibits including more than just peeling paint but also overall structural integrity, evidence of water damage, and the state of the floors, this is important because houses that are more deteriorated are going be more hazardous and need a faster response (Chisolm, 236). Next apply a wet chemical removal with proper disposal technique to ensure none of the lead cleaned is left behind (Chisolm, 236-237). Finally, rehabilitation includes “a high efficiency particle accumulator vacuuming system, such as that used for the removal of asbestos, will be needed to remove the particulates that have accumulated over the years” (Chisolm, 237).
This process depends upon trained professional working in a risky environment. It is also often prohibitively expensive, for a lead paint removal cost being approximately $10,000 according to websites thumbtack.com, fixr.com, and several others. Preventative solutions that limit lead risk in the environment are essential for mitigating the lead crisis, but they cannot solve it entire property rehabilitation is the only way to ensure that no future lead exposure will occur. (Dewalt, 1)

Victoria Greico

http://www.dibbinilaw.com/get-lead-lead-paint-issues-landlords/

James G. Dibbini & Associates, P.C

January 4, 2017

David McGuire
Meghan Thornton