If the house was built in the 60's ('62) in the US, would there be lead paint in it? What year did they stop using lead paint in the US in new home construction? What are the years for mercury in paints?
Also if the baseboards and window casings have it, is it better to paint over it or remove it and put new ones? Is the risk of unsettling lead dust greater?
Thanks
Bertie Brink
Paint. Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint. The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978. Some states stopped its use even earlier.
Posible, but much less likely than older than that. l It was banned in 1978, IIRC, but it was not normal practice for some time before that. You can buy a test kit at a harware or paint store.
Painting over it just hides the problem. One of the scenarios is kids chewing on window sills and ingesting lead. Covering it will not fix that as it would be chewed through. Sanding is not good. Strippers and scraping is best, or just replace the trim and be done with it. For adults, it is not much of a problem living with it.
Maybe, maybe not. Not all paint had lead in it. About 1976, but there will be variations because not everyone followed the law and used lead paint if they had it. Mercury? Why would one put mercury in paint?
There is no danger in lead paint if you don't eat it. The main danger was flaking paint and and an activity called pika (eating dirt). Some ethnic groups of people (especially their children) seem to have a penchant for eating dirt, so eating dirt that contains lead paint flakes causes lead poisoning in children and some adults. The problem was especially notable in slums where house upkeep was poor. If you sand lead painted surfaces you need a good respirator (not one of the paper mask things). Even at that, as an adult, you would have to be exposed to a great deal of lead before you have severe effect. As an adult, you would have mild effects and should go to a doctor long before you ingested enough lead to result in permanent harm. The first effect is extreme tiredness. Having worked in a lead smelter, I know from experience what the effects are.
It is good to get lead out of the air, especially out of gasoline, and out of food products and products used for eating. But for most people, lead in paint is a non-issue. Whether or not a house was painted with lead paint would be of not be a purchase concern to me.
BTW, if your house is kept painted and clean you would be hard pressed to find a significant amount of lead dust. But yes, a person looking for the sale of some anti-lead product could possibly conjure up enough lead to get a positive test. More important would be the e-coli and other bacteria in your bathroom and kitchen.
I think the '57 Mercury had it in that gold trim on the rear fenders.
Having lived in apartments in NJ, there is alot of lead paint (explains the idiots there) and the state requires tenet education. It seems if lead paint stays where it is, it's safe. Meaning if you don't eat it, or breath it, it's safe. Infact I was instructed by a landlord, that if a piece of molding is greater than x inches from a wall, it had to 'fixed' since that was a chewing potentional for infants/children. So flat surfaces were repainted with non-lead paint, and made safer.
So, IMHO, if I owned a home with the potential of lead paint inside, I would first evaluate the condition of the paint. Is it loose and flaking? Real threat to children, even if no lead.
Second, identify if you have lead paint. Many companies willl do simple surveys for a few bucks.
Third, see what items that pose the greatest threat. Like molding/casements. If a child can get a tooth on it, it can be scarey.
Not just guessing, since the house I purchased was built after 1970, by intention.
later,
tom
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