Lead paint is still an issue after all these years. (Pittsburgh: crime, how much)

[wpipkins2]

My daughter was born premature at 34 weeks. We were told of the possible developmental issues that come with premature birth. I had my home tested for lead paint twice. Once during a new window install and again through a city of Pittsburgh program. All tests came back negative. I cannot imagine living in a home and not knowing. It should be mandatory for all landlords to test and provide results to possible renters.

Genetics or lead? One Pittsburgh mother

[Lost_In_Translation]

I'd be more concerned about lead in the water. Unless you're eating paint chips, lead paint is benign from what I understand. There are other things to worry about, such as types of black mold, asbestos, formaldahydes and other aeresoled chemicals that can cause more issues.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

My daughter was born premature at 34 weeks. We were told of the possible developmental issues that come with premature birth. I had my home tested for lead paint twice. Once during a new window install and again through a city of Pittsburgh program. All tests came back negative. I cannot imagine living in a home and not knowing. It should be mandatory for all landlords to test and provide results to possible renters.

Genetics or lead? One Pittsburgh mother

Our daughter had elevated lead levels when she was a toddler. Not at the point where it was considered lead poisoning, but at first testing it was a few micrograms above the limit - though honestly there is no proven "safe" level for lead poisoning, just lesser and lesser impairment. By modern day standards, virtually everyone who was born in U.S. during the 1970s had lead poisoning. Regardless, we needed to move out of our house for two months while it was being re mediated.

Our zip code is the one with the second highest levels of lead in the water in Pittsburgh (Squirrel Hill is the highest, oddly enough) with about 15% of houses deemed as having unsafe water. We have requested the testing kit from PWSA and hope it will come soon. Our children never drank much tap water, but we've stopped letting them use it except to brush their teeth at night until we find out.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Lost_In_Translation

I'd be more concerned about lead in the water. Unless you're eating paint chips, lead paint is benign from what I understand.

Not entirely true. If people painted hinges on doors in your house with lead paint, the grinding releases dust, which is accidentially inhaled and ingested. And if you do any sort of rehab work in a house with a kid, you're really putting them in danger. In general, childhood lead poisoning seems to be more correlated now with contaminated soil from leaded gasoline decades ago. Unless a full remediation is done - carrying away the topsoil and replacing with clean fill - lead soil contamination is not only there forever, but gets kicked up every summer, leading to further risk of contamination.

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

It should be mandatory for all landlords to test and provide results to possible renters.

The Health Department is considering mandating blood lead level testing for children: http://www.achd.net/legal/pub/pdf/Ar...raft011117.pdf

[guy2073]

When i got my lead certification years ago one of the points of exposure mentioned was from soil around playground equipment.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

My daughter was born premature at 34 weeks. We were told of the possible developmental issues that come with premature birth. I had my home tested for lead paint twice. Once during a new window install and again through a city of Pittsburgh program. All tests came back negative. I cannot imagine living in a home and not knowing. It should be mandatory for all landlords to test and provide results to possible renters.

Genetics or lead? One Pittsburgh mother

Then it should be mandatory for ALL homeowners with proof of a test provided to the government.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Not entirely true. If people painted hinges on doors in your house with lead paint, the grinding releases dust, which is accidentially inhaled and ingested. And if you do any sort of rehab work in a house with a kid, you're really putting them in danger. In general, childhood lead poisoning seems to be more correlated now with contaminated soil from leaded gasoline decades ago. Unless a full remediation is done - carrying away the topsoil and replacing with clean fill - lead soil contamination is not only there forever, but gets kicked up every summer, leading to further risk of contamination.

No one paints with lead paint anymore (unless you're hoarding it for some reason) so most paint mobile surfaces is unlikely to be still be leaded to any significant degree.


I agree with the second point however. A lot of old gas tanks were not properly remediated so a lot of contamination can still exist. I question how much exposure it takes for chronic conditions. If it really caused the damage people are afraid of, we'd all be pretty screwed up.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Lost_In_Translation

I agree with the second point however. A lot of old gas tanks were not properly remediated so a lot of contamination can still exist. I question how much exposure it takes for chronic conditions. If it really caused the damage people are afraid of, we'd all be pretty screwed up.

There is no proven "safe" level of lead exposure, just a slow decrease in affects like lowered IQ and heightened anger as lead exposure drops. Indeed, it's been suggested in recent years that the general downward trend in crime over a 25-year period was due to falling rates of sub-clinical lead exposure among teens and young adults.

[Copanut]

Should they check for lead in The White House?