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Considering we want to buy in New England, it is near impossible to find homes in our price range built after 1978. We get varying opinions from "as long as the kids' lead levels are checked annually you'll be fine" to "the homeowner did renovations so it's likely all the lead is gone now" to "don't ever move to a home that could have lead, it is deadly and will poison your kids"
I know that upon putting an offer on a home we have the option to have the home tested for lead but we were told if we do that, the following could happen: 1) if it tests positive, the seller doesn't have to agree to remediate and the deal falls through. 2) if we move forward with the sale then we HAVE to de-lead the property in order to legally be able to live there
Can anyone share their experience? If we opt to only look at homes built after 1978 we might as well stop our home search because they're so scarce....
I'd buy it if I wanted it.
Einstein grew up in a house with leaded paint. So did I. Maybe you did, too.
I have small children and live in a house built in 1973. The entire house has been painted so very little risk as far as I am concerned.
I also happen to get a lead blood test every 6 months for work purposes. My lead levels have never been elevated so that confirms that no risk is present.
You are not a one year old. For a start you are a lot bigger, which dilutes any lead ingested. Also, you probably put your hands and other objects in your mouth a lot less often than they do.
And finally, and most importantly, your blood level can be four times the alert level for a child before it is called high. This is because your brain is pretty much done. Lead just doesn't affect adults like it does children.
Quote:
Small amounts of lead in adults are not thought to be harmful. However, even low levels of lead can be dangerous to infants and children. It can cause lead poisoning that leads to problems in mental development.
Adults:
Less than 20 micrograms/dL of lead in the blood
Children:
Less than 5 micrograms/dL of lead in the blood
Note: dL = deciliter
You are not a one year old. For a start you are a lot bigger, which dilutes any lead ingested. Also, you probably put your hands and other objects in your mouth a lot less often than they do.
And finally, and most importantly, your blood level can be four times the alert level for a child before it is called high. This is because your brain is pretty much done. Lead just doesn't affect adults like it does children.
I grew up in a house built in the 1930's. I never saw paint chips in the window sills and thought hey Pringles! I'll eat those. Not once. Miraculously, I didn't grow up with lead poisoning.....then again I didn't eat the paint!
I've lived in house built in the 1890's and never ate any paint in the place. I currently own a house built in 1942 that absolutely has lead paint under layers of paint. Again, I am not sitting here munching on the paint on the walls or wood trim.
I'm far more worried about the asbestos tape wrapped around my duct work in the basement!
I know a couple that were obsessed... they remove all the 1920's trim, doors, windows and cabinets as they tested positive.
They replaced it all with off the shelf Home Depot material and really lost the character of the home...
I did ask them how they got rid of everything and they said they hauled if off the landfill...
Then I said, "Didn't bother you to be disposing of hazardous material in a landfill?" they did not have an answer and had the deer in the headlight look.
I know a couple that were obsessed... they remove all the 1920's trim, doors, windows and cabinets as they tested positive.
They replaced it all with off the shelf Home Depot material and really lost the character of the home...
I did ask them how they got rid of everything and they said they hauled if off the landfill...
Then I said, "Didn't bother you to be disposing of hazardous material in a landfill?" they did not have an answer and had the deer in the headlight look.
And who knows what chemicals are now in those cheap pieces they bought off the shelf. Lead paint is an easy fix - strip it or paint over it! Problem solved.
Considering we want to buy in New England, it is near impossible to find homes in our price range built after 1978. We get varying opinions from "as long as the kids' lead levels are checked annually you'll be fine" to "the homeowner did renovations so it's likely all the lead is gone now" to "don't ever move to a home that could have lead, it is deadly and will poison your kids"
I know that upon putting an offer on a home we have the option to have the home tested for lead but we were told if we do that, the following could happen: 1) if it tests positive, the seller doesn't have to agree to remediate and the deal falls through. 2) if we move forward with the sale then we HAVE to de-lead the property in order to legally be able to live there
Can anyone share their experience? If we opt to only look at homes built after 1978 we might as well stop our home search because they're so scarce....
Based on my research in my home search, lead on walls isn't that bad. If the walls don't have 80 layers of chipping paint and the house has been well maintained, you can usu paint over it smoothly and be fine.
The bigger problem is lead on trims and windows as those parts are often in motion and paint can flake off when opening/shutting and you can release lead dust to be ingested. And I see plenty of old houses around me with flaky windows I personally would not live with. If the trim looks suspect and I loved the house, I would pay someone reputable to replace all the trims and window sashes/sills, etc. More energy efficient as well.
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