LEAD BASED PAINT (LBT) BASICS AND ASBESTOS BASICS

  • LBP was utilized in some homes built in 1978 and before
  • Lead was an additive used primarily in interior and exterior trim paint, because it added minimum durability and killed mildew.If the paint was mixed locally for the Colorado market, it will not be leaded.
  • Children six years of age and younger are primarily at risk for permanent brain damage.The EPA estimated in one study that such damage reduces higher brain function by approximately five IQ points- permanently.
  • Older children and adults must have a much greater exposure in order to become "lead-poisoned". Such lead poisoning is usually reversible through whole-body chelation.
  • A child may get lead poisoning from several various sources other that eating lead-containing paint chips.
  • Large-scale LBP remediation in Colorado must be performed by a state-certified LBP Remediation Firm, and the project must be permitted by the state with a ten-working day waiting period.
  • If a routine maintenance-painting project might affect LBP, it does not necessarily require a permit, but the painting firm should have proof that its painters have attended a two-day EPA-sanctioned LBP Awareness Course.
  • Painters should have gone through a 2-day (free) EPA course on how to paint a home without disturbing existing lead paint.

LBP Testing

  • LBP Inspections should determine the amount and location of LBP on all representative painted interior and exterior surfaces.
  • The EPA recommends that such inspections be performed utilizing a direct-reading X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) meter. Chip sampling is generally destructive, and not cost-effective for whole-house surveys. Colorimetric sampling devices should not typically be used, as they may create both false negatives and/or false positive readings.
  • LBP Inspectors and Risk Assessors must be certified by the Colorado Department of Health. You should ask for a copy of the certification or check EPA´s Lead Listing on the Net prior to hiring a consultant.
  • Such LBP inspections are a permanent record that should stay with the home and be passed to future homebuyers.For this reason, no further inspections should ever be necessary.
  • Typically, a whole-house XRF LBP inspection for the average home in the Front Range area should cost between $200 and $400. This is dependent on the location and square footage of the home.
  • LBP Rick Assessments are surveys involving lead dust wipe sampling and a much more extensive report, which itemizes the recommended corrective actions for potential LBP exposures.Use a chip test -$25/chip to test. X-Ray fluorescent meter = $20,000 tester, radioactive material in machine needs to be replaced every 18 months at $5,000.

Asbestos Basics

  • Asbestos is a natural mineral that was added to building materials in homes built in 1978 and before.
  • Anyone can be harmed by high-concentration exposures and/or long-term exposure to asbestos fibers.Most Industrial Hygienists consider small short-term exposures to be relatively safe.
  • Asbestos-related diseases include Asbestosis, certain lung cancers, and Mesothelioma (cancer of the lung lining).These diseases usually take 20 to 40 years after exposure before developing within the body.
  • OSHA considers an average daily exposure (during an eight-hour work day) of approximately 200,000 fibers per day to be "safe"
  • Asbestos remediation in Colorado must be performed be a state-certified Asbestos Abatement Firm.Larger projects must be permitted by the state, with a ten-working-day waiting period.

Asbestos Inspections

  • Asbestos inspections should determine the amount and location of asbestos-containing building materials (ACBMs) within the home.
  • Asbestos Inspectors are certified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).You should ask to see a copy of their certification, or check with the CDPHE prior to hiring a consultant.
  • Typically, an asbestos inspection for the average home in the Front Range area should cost between $200 and $300, plus the laboratory fees for the sample analysis.This price is dependent on the location and square footage of the home.Discounts are usually available when performing multiple inspections simultaneously.
  • Each suspect building material component within the home must have between three and seven samples collected for analysis (as determined by regulation #8).All testing is considered "destructive testing", as a small piece of the material must be taken and analyzed via PLM.
  • PLM analysis typically cost from $6 to $20 per sample, depending on the turn around time requested.
  • Popcorn ceilings with glider specs almost always have asbestos.