Lead paint, while widely used for decades, is now known to be harmful to people, especially children. Since this discovery, efforts have been made to remove lead paint from homes. Unfortunately, many older homes still have lead paint, sometimes unbeknownst to its current occupants. If you live in an older home, then it may be time to contact lead paint removal professionals to inspect your home, assess any potential risk and remove it safely.

In the following, we give you a quick guide on the dangers lead paint can pose, how to tell if your home has lead paint and who to call for the safe removal of lead paint from your home.

Why is Lead Paint Dangerous?

Lead poisoning is a problem that was only really understood a few decades ago. Since its effects don’t always present right away, we were using lead in everyday household items for years before anyone connected the presence of lead with potential health issues. It turns out that exposure to lead, especially in children, has been linked to a number of health and development issues.

Chief among these potential issues is anemia, which is a lack of red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body, and damage to the brain and central nervous system. Since children’s and babies’ bodies can absorb lead more readily and they are prone to putting their mouths on things, they are at a higher risk of suffering the effects of lead poisoning. If you have an old home and young children, have you house inspected to see if lead paint removal is required.

Most people are worried about lead in their pipes, which then gets into the water and into our bodies, but lead paint is also an issue. Dust and disturbed lead paint can easily be inhaled and absorbed by the body, which can be just as dangerous as lead in other forms.

In order to completely remove the threat of lead poisoning from a home, you will need to have it assessed and detected, and then professionally removed. Using lead paint removal experts is the only way to safely and comprehensively remove lead from your home entirely.

How Do I Know if My House has Lead Paint?

In general, lead paint is an issue that exists for older homes. Whether or not paint contains lead depends on where the home is located and when it was built. Since laws against lead paint happened differently in different counties, it’s possible to have lead paint in almost any home. In general, however, homes built in the 1960s or earlier are the most likely to have lead paint. Homes built after 1990 are the least likely to contain lead paint since all consumer paints being manufactured by this point were not allowed to contain lead.

Remember, it is possible that lead paint exists in a home and isn’t the top layer of paint. In many instances, people simply painted over lead paint with more paint, which does not remove the issue. So, while the surface-level paint may not contain lead, the paint underneath could pose a threat to your health and safety.

How Do Experts Detect Lead Paint?

So how do lead paint removal experts determine if your home has lead paint? This job requires certification as a risk assessor or dedicated lead inspector. These professionals use test kits that chemically break down paint to determine if it contains lead. These tests are available to the general public, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strongly recommends that anyone who suspects that they have lead paint contact a certified and professional lead detector or risk assessor.

Why Do I Need Professionals for Lead Paint Removal?

While many people think that they can safely handle lead paint removal, this isn’t always the right choice. In fact, it can be dangerous for you and your family if you handle the work yourself. This is because only professionals can comprehensively detect all the lead paint in your home and remove it properly.

Lead paint removal not only requires specialized training, but it also requires special equipment to keep workers safe and prevent lead dust from staying in a home after it’s removed. In order to keep your family safe, you will need the experts to handle every step of the process, from initial inspection through to removing it from your home.