General information, not medical advice. If you think you or your family have been exposed to lead, the NSW EPA’s advice is to see a doctor.
1Where lead turns up in a house
The EPA’s list of sources around a home reads like a renovation plan.
- Paint inside and outside homes built before 1970, and paint flakes around old structures.
- Dust in ceiling cavities, carpets and furniture, wherever dust settles, and in the soil around the house; the EPA says some of it may date from before the 1980s, when petrol carried high levels of lead.
- Fumes from heating a lead surface with a heat gun or soldering iron.
- Lead water pipes, leadlight windows, lead sheeting, and paint on various products.
The jobs that stir it up are the ones this site is about. The EPA names dry-sanding old lead paint or stripping it with open-flame torches; demolishing or repairing walls, floors or ceilings; replacing or maintaining plumbing in cavities; and moving carpets that hold lead dust.
2Why it matters
The EPA links lead exposure to harm to organs and bodily functions: when the level of lead in the blood is raised, the result can be anaemia, kidney problems, and neurological or developmental harm. People of every age can be affected, and the risk is higher for pregnant women, infants and children. How much harm it does also depends on a person’s age and health, the amount of lead and how long the exposure lasts.
3Test before you touch
The EPA suggests testing every surface and material you suspect, using lead test kits sold at major hardware retailers. If testing isn’t possible, it says the safest course is to assume the paint, dust or soil contains lead.
4The main warnings
Read the full safety steps before any work
The NSW EPA sets out the steps for renovating where there is lead, from planning to clean-up, in its fact sheet Lead: gardening and home renovations. Use the fact sheet itself for the steps. In short, its main warnings are:
- Test, and bring in a professional if lead is found. The EPA’s first steps are to test painted surfaces and, where lead is present, to have the work done by someone trained and qualified to handle it safely.
- Keep pregnant women and children away. They should not be exposed while the work goes on, and they, and pets, come back only after the clean-up is finished.
- Full precautions if you do it yourself. Anyone doing the work themselves should wear disposable coveralls and a respirator approved under AS 1716 with a P1 or P2 filter, because basic paper masks do not protect against fine dust.
- No dry sanding and no burning off. The EPA calls for wet methods instead of dry-sanding, and warns against open-flame torches and heat guns because they make lead fumes.
- Clean up wet, and seal the waste. The sheet describes wet-washing the work area and bagging waste in heavy-duty plastic, with the dust dampened first.
5Where to ask
The EPA’s fact sheet points to three places: its Environment Line on 131 555, its lead safety web page, and your doctor, for blood tests and the effects of lead on health. The EPA’s lead safety page also links NSW Health’s material on lead and children, and the Australian Government’s guide to painting a home safely.