United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Technology & Development Program
		October 1997	9771-2330-MTDC
		7100

This is the first of a series of Tech Tips on lead-based paint. If you are planning to repaint, renovate, repair, or remodel a structure or residence built before 1978, do not begin work before you have the paint checked for lead. Many structures built before 1978 contain lead-based paint; most structures built before 1960 do contain lead-based paint. Work on those structures may produce small pieces of lead or lead dust that you, your coworkers, or building occupants may inhale or swallow. Also, you may unknowingly take lead dust home on your body or clothing, exposing your family. If enough lead is consumed, lead poisoning could result. In addition, as a Federal worker you are required to follow certain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Admini-stration (OSHA), and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules and guidelines when dealing with lead-based paint.

These Tech Tips will provide you with a basic knowledge of the laws and regulations governing lead-based paint. The Tech Tips will also describe how to determine if lead paint exists on a structure and how to deal with it--whether you are contracting the operation or having Forest Service employees do the job. They will also provide you with Federal and State contacts who can assist you with your lead-based paint projects.

What is Lead-Based Paint?

Lead-based paint is defined as any paint, varnish, stain, or other applied coating that has 1 mg/cm2 (5,000 µg/g by dry weight or 5,000 parts per million) or more of lead.

Paint consists of pigment (color), a resin or polymer (that forms a coating or film) and a solvent (in which the pigment and resins are suspended). When the paint is applied, the solvent evaporates, leaving the pigment behind. Pigment is the material, or "color," left on the surface that has been painted. In lead paint, the pigment is composed of various compounds that contain lead.

Most structures built before 1960 contain lead-based paint. Lead-based paint was used until 1978, but paint produced before 1960 contained much higher concentrations of lead than paint manufactured in later years. Lead was used because of its durability and weather resistance. You would expect to find higher concentrations of lead-based paint on exterior surfaces, and around doors and windows (on both the inside and outside).

Once lead pigment was proven to be a health hazard, it was officially banned from residential paints. The Consumer Product Safety Commission defines lead-free paint as having less than 600 parts of lead per million. Regulations went into effect in 1978. Before then, other unleaded paints (such as latex-based paints that substituted titanium dioxide for lead) were also used. It is impossible to tell whether a paint contains lead by knowing when the paint was applied, by looking at it, or by scraping it. The next Tech Tip in this series will describe how to determine if a painted surface has lead.

Lead paint has not been banned from all uses. Its durability makes it the pigment of choice for use on industrial surfaces, such as bridges and traffic lane markers.

A lead-based paint hazard is defined as "any condition that causes exposure to lead...that would result in adverse human health effects" that come from:

• Lead-contaminated paint that is deteriorated or present on accessible, friction, or impact surfaces
• Lead-contaminated dust
• Bare, lead-contaminated soil.

Under this definition, even if lead-based paint is present, lead hazards may not exist. If the paint is intact and in good condition (no peeling, chipping, or chalking), it would not be considered a "hazard." However, the paint should be maintained and its condition monitored to ensure that it does not deteriorate.

Danger of Lead and Lead-Based Paint

Figure 1--From Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1995), adapted from: ATSDR, Toxicological Profile for Lead (1989).

Lead in the body can cause serious damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, the cardiovascular system, and the kidneys (Figure 1). Exposure to high concentrations of lead can cause retardation, convulsions, coma, and sometimes death. Children under the age of 6 are especially susceptible to lead poisoning due to neurological development during these years. Children will absorb up to 50 percent of ingested lead, while adults absorb only about 10 percent. Even low levels are known to slow a child's normal development and cause learning and behavioral problems. Other investigations report long-lasting impacts on children's intelligence, motor control, hearing, and emotional development. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts blood lead levels at 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) for poisoning in children, while OSHA places it at 40 µg/dL for workers.

How does lead get into the body? Occupational hazards (for example, those experienced by painters, maintenance/renovation, and abatement workers who use unsafe paint removal practices) are the leading cause of elevated blood lead levels in adults, while ingesting lead-contaminated surface dust is the most common pathway of lead poisoning in children. Lead dust commonly gets on children's hands and toys and then into their bodies through normal hand-to-mouth activity. This dust comes from lead-based paint that is deteriorating (chipping or peeling) and is created by friction or impact or disturbed during repainting or remodeling projects. Lead dust may also be brought home on the clothing or bodies of parents who unknow-ingly work in lead-contaminated areas.

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning. In many cases, there are no visible symptoms of elevated blood-lead levels or lead poisoning. Symptoms of lead poisoning generally do not appear until blood-lead levels exceed 50 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL). Signs of lead poisoning can include:

• Tiredness
• Irritability
• Loss of weight
• Insomnia
• Stomachaches
• Loss of appetite
• Dizziness
• Nervousness
• Headaches
• Depression
• Forgetfulness
• Muscle weakness
• Clumsiness
• Vomiting
• Metal taste in mouth

Where Can You Get More Information on Lead-Based Paint?

General information, lead poisoning prevention
Source: Information Center, Ph: 800-LEAD-FYI

Employer compliance
Source: OSHA Standards Division, Ph: (202)219-7075

Office of Lead-Based Paint Abatement and Poisoning Prevention
Source: HUD, Ph: (202)755-1785

Order HUD documents
Source: HUD User, Ph: 800-245-2691

Air sampling and analysis
Source: OSHA Lab, Ph: (202)219-8151

RCRA Hotline
Source: EPA, Ph: 800-424-9346

Safe Drinking Water Hotline
Source: EPA, Ph: 800-426-4791

Health Hazard Air Sampling
Source: NIOSH, Ph: 800-35NIOSH

Internet

Environmental Protection Agency

Department of Labor

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Housing and Urban Development

Steel Structure Paint Council

National Lead Information Center

Next in the Lead-Based Paint Series...

Lead-Based Paint: Testing Methods will describe several methods to determine if a painted surface has lead-based paint, and the pros and cons of each method.

Hard copies of this document may be ordered from:

USDA Forest Service
Missoula Technology & Development Center
Building 1, Fort Missoula
Missoula, MT 59804-7294
Phone: (406) 329-3900
Fax: (406) 329-3719

For further technical information, contact Andy Trent at the address above.

Phone: (406) 329-3912
Fax: (406) 329-3719
DG: A.Trent:R01A
E-mail: /s=a.trent/ou1=r01a@mhs-fswa.attmail.com

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