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Lead in Paint & Old Houses – Risks to kids

August 5, 2021

 

Lead can be found nearly everywhere in the environment, including the air, water, food and soil. Although lead occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, much of our exposure results from industrial activities, such as manufacturing. In addition, lead is used (or was previously used) in a wide variety of products, including those found in and around our homes, such as paint, plumbing materials, gasoline, batteries, and cosmetics. Residential lead-based paint was banned in 1978 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. However, it is estimated that over 80% of the homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. Lead-based paint used on toys and furniture was similarly banned in 1978.

Exposure to lead can occur through a variety of pathways. Ingestion of paint flakes and dirt, inhalation and ingestion of dust, and ingestion of contaminated drinking water are common among children as lead tastes sweet. To reduce your children’s exposure to lead, keep them away from contaminated dirt, remove shoes before entering the house, and remove or cover leaded paint. Painting the exterior of your home is one of the best ways to prevent exposure to the lead from the existing paint. Additionally, if your home is more than 70 years old, it likely contains some lead plumbing. Testing your home’s water can show if your water supply contains trace amounts of lead. Lead in drinking water can be greatly reduced by running the water until it is cold or through use of a pour-through pitcher or other home filter system with a lead reduction rating. Labs verify the lead reduction using methods that must be printed on the product packaging.

In addition to minimizing direct exposure to lead from paint and other sources, the EPA recommends that your children eat at least three meals per day, particularly foods rich in iron and calcium. This type of diet will greatly reduce the amount of lead being absorbed into their bodies. Consumption of fatty and fried foods should also be restricted as these foods are known to increase the absorption of lead in the body.

After it enters the body, lead can cause neurological damage and can delay development in children, if a high enough exposure occurs. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that children ages 6 and younger are the most vulnerable to lead. Your pediatrician can administer a simple blood test to determine if your children have been exposed to lead and to estimate their blood levels of lead. The reference level at which U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommend public health actions be considered is 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood (µg/dL). The Ohio Department of Health runs the Ohio Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Program, which has published a helpful brochure that includes a list of criteria that you and your family can review together to determine whether this testing might be necessary for your children. If you do get your children tested and find that they have been exposed, several treatment options are available, which are described in the brochure.

Under the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule administered by the EPA, federal law requires that anyone hired to renovate, repair, or do paint preparation on a house built before 1978 (that a child under 6 visits regularly) be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Outdoor paint renovation should include ground covers. Any sanding equipment requires a shroud and HEPA vacuum attachment. More information on your rights as a tenant and how to keep your family safe during this type of renovation can be found. Additionally, you can also verify that a contractor is certified by checking EPA or by calling the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) or ask to see a copy of the contractor’s firm certification.

A more complete essay on this topic can be found at: http://www.kidschemicalsafety.net/Lead-Paint-and-Old-Houses.htm. A video that brings home some of these issues can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=IYpPOpAq8Vs&feature=emb_logo.

WEEL OEL

Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) are designed to safeguard the health of healthy workers during their careers. These limits are based on the assumption of repeated daily exposure throughout a working lifetime, typically averaged over an 8-hour workday. Their purpose is to prevent both immediate (acute) and long-term (chronic) health issues arising from workplace exposures. It’s important to note that OELs are not intended for the general public, which includes vulnerable groups like infants, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.

Workplace Environmental Exposure Levels (WEELs) are health-based guidelines for chemical hazards in the workplace. These values represent air concentrations believed to protect the majority of workers from negative health effects resulting from occupational chemical exposure.

The WEEL Process
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The development of new or revision of existing WEELs is typically assigned to voluntarily designated subcommittees. A subcommittee usually comprises 3 – 4 members from the WEEL Committee. New WEELs are developed using the OARS-WEEL administrative standard operating procedure (SOP), while existing WEELs are usually revised every 10 years, unless the availability of significant new data which may impact the existing WEEL value compels the committee to make a revision sooner. The OARS-WEEL SOP contains procedures and guidelines governing conflicts of interest, draft document preparation, literature searches, draft document review, balloting process, post-ballot WEEL documentation quality assurance scientific review, and publication.

Once a subcommittee has prepared a draft WEEL document, a review of the draft is scheduled for the next available Committee meeting. The WEEL Committee members are expected to have reviewed all such drafts prior to the meeting. If no major changes are necessary to a draft, the attending Committee membership may, by a simple majority, approve the WEEL for balloting. Alternatively, the Committee may direct the subcommittee to revise the WEEL and present it for further discussion at a future meeting. If a ballot is not approved by a two-thirds majority of non-abstaining Committee members, it is discussed at the next Committee meeting to determine the appropriate course of action. Once the WEEL is approved by a two-thirds majority of non-abstaining Committee members, copies of ballot comments are forwarded to the designated subcommittee and all substantive comments must be addressed in the final draft. If resolution of a substantive comment results in a change to the WEEL value or a change in the basis for the value, the draft must be re-balloted.

Once all comments have been addressed on a successfully balloted draft, document formatting and editorial review are performed by TERA, before the draft WEEL document is made available for public comment (usually for a period of 30 days but may be extended if the need arises). After the public comment period has elapsed, comments are addressed by the subcommittee responsible for that specific draft, after which the WEEL documentation is submitted to Toxicology and Industrial Health (TIH), a peer-reviewed medical journal that covers research in the fields of occupational health and toxicology, for publication. A thorough review of the galley proof by the scientific content quality coordinator at TERA, and proofreaders and editors at TIH is the penultimate step before eventual publication of the WEEL documentation.

The WEEL Committee

The OARS-WEEL Committee is composed of volunteer experts specializing in the scientific determination of occupational exposure levels. This committee actively seeks a balanced representation of professionals from toxicology and industrial hygiene, drawing upon a diverse range of experience from industry, government, academia, and consulting. Importantly, each member contributes to the Committee based on their individual expertise and not as an official representative of their respective employer, organization, or agency.