[Enesta Jones]
Hello, I'm Enesta Jones of EPA's Office of Public Affairs.
Welcome to Green Scene, an environmental podcast
you can take with you.
Two of the most common sources of lead poisoning are from
exposure to deteriorating lead-based paint and to
lead dust generate from renovation and repair
activities in older homes and buildings.
In today's economy many people are deciding to do their own
projects to save money, including renovating
their home.
EPA wants to make sure that if you choose to go that route,
you're not putting your family at risk of lead poisoning.
To tell us more about how you can do it yourself and
protect your family is Wendy Cleland-Hamnett,
the acting office director for EPA's Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics.
Wendy, welcome to the show.
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]Thank you, Enesta.
[Enesta Jones] So, Wendy, why is it important
for people, especially parents, to be concerned about exposure
to lead in paint?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] Lead is very toxic, and infants
and young children are more likely to be exposed to lead in
dust because young children crawl around on the floor,
they put their hands in their mouths, they put their
toys and other objects in their mouths that are likely
to have dust on them. Children are also very
susceptible to the toxic effects of lead.
Because their bodies are growing and developing,
they absorb more of the lead.
And even low doses of lead can cause effects like
like behavioral problems and learning problems.
And high levels of lead in children can result
in very serious problems like seizures or even death.
So it's very important that we protect children from exposure
to lead in dust.
The good news is that we have made great strides
in doing that.
Back in 1978, 30 years ago, the CDC estimated that there
were about 3 million children in the U.S. who had high blood lead
levels, and in 2002 the CDC reported that that number
had been reduced by 90 percent to about 300,000 children,
and recently they think that number has gone even lower.
But we still have a lot of work to do.
[Enesta Jones] Last year the agency issued a final rule:
Aim to prevent lead poisoning. Can you tell us more about this
rule and how it's strengthened public health protection?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] I'd be happy to do that.
The rule requires that contractors and other
construction professionals who are doing work in homes that
were built before 1978, or in buildings where young children are likely
to spend a lot of time, like daycare centers and
preschools and kindergartens, that the contractors doing work
there, where they might disturb lead-based paint, use a set
of actually very simple but effective lead-safe work
practices that reduce the amount of lead dust that's
generated and also keep children from being exposed to it.
And that rule goes into effect in April 2010.
[Enesta Jones] You mentioned the rule is for contractors and it
takes effect next year. What about do-it-yourselfers,
how can they protect themselves and their families?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] That's a very important question.
Before I go into that I'd just like to mention that families
who are considering hiring contractors to do work
in their home talk to the prospective contractors
about using lead-safe work practices and make sure that
their contractors will do that.
But for parents or other people who decide they want to do work
in their homes themselves, there are actually three
simple steps they can take to protect themselves and their families.
The first is to contain the work area, so any lead dust
that's generated doesn't get into other parts of the home.
And you can do that by putting plastic up to contain the area.
We'd encourage people, if they can remove furniture and drapes
and things from the work area, to do that before they start
the work so they don't have to worry about lead dust getting
in there, and any furniture they can't remove,
floors and so forth, they cover with heavy duty
plastic and tape it up so when the job's done,
they can fold up that plastic and remove it from their house.
They should also make sure to keep children and pets and
pregnant women out of the area while the work's being done.
We have some caution tape here to make sure that family
members and visitors know not to go into the work area.
The second step they can do is, while they're doing work,
try to minimize the amount of dust that's generated.
So, if they're using a sander or a grinder, try to use one
that has a HEPA attachment that will suck up the dust
while it's being generated. The third step is to clean the
area thoroughly before they take down the plastic and let
family members into the area. Wet mop, use a disposable mop,
because you don't want to reuse a mop that might have
lead dust on it. Use lots of rinses to wipe down the area.
Use, again, a HEPA-equipped vacuum with a HEPA filter
on it to clean carpets and other surfaces so you get up as much
of the dust as possible.
[Enesta Jones] Wendy, you mentioned some of the
cleaning materials that do-it-yourselfers should have
on hand before they start a renovation project.
Are there any others?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] Well, certainly the people
who are doing the work should wear a disposable
respirator that you can buy at your hardware store
or similar sorts of stores; cleaning fluid, the misting bottle.
This is one way to sort of keep the dust down while you're doing
the job, to kind of keep areas wet so you don't have dust
getting into the air. I mentioned heavy duty plastic and tape.
When you're closing off the area it's important to tape over the
heating and air conditioning vents so you're not spreading
dust through the rest of the home that way.
It's good to have either little disposable booties that you can
put over your shoes, or a way to clean your shoes off so
if you're doing work and going in and out of the area,
you're not tracking dust into other parts of the house.
[Enesta Jones] What other specific things
should a do-it-yourselfer do to prepare a work area before
they start a renovation?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] I think it's important to
minimize the going in and out of the work area, to bring all of your
tools and equipment into the work area before you start the work.
I think protective equipment for the person doing the work,
I mentioned the respirator. There's just sort of a disposable suit you
can put on if you want to keep the lead dust off of your clothes;
a hat. Just try to think ahead of all the things that you might need
and have them in the room with you when you start the work.
[Enesta Jones] I hear that wet wiping is important, too.
Just how important is it in keeping the area clean?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] Very, very important.
Wet wiping's probably the best way to keep the dust down
and to make sure that the dust is gone before you
let family members back into the area.
So, you know, having your bucket and water and your mop,
your spray bottle, and all of that, and using it frequently
as you're doing the work will help keep the dust down.
It's important for the person doing the work, too,
so they're not exposed to it.
[Enesta Jones] That's why the gloves are important.
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] Gloves, hat, something to cover up your clothing.
[Enesta Jones] EPA and the Centers for Disease Control are clearly
doing a lot to prevent lead poisonings. If a parent,
however, feels that their child may have been
exposed, is there something that they should do to get them checked?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett] Yes, if they believe they or
their children have been exposed, they should contact
their family doctor. The doctor can do a very simple
blood test to determine if they or their child have an elevated
level of lead in their blood.
[Enesta Jones] Thank you for being here today, Wendy.
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Well, thank you very much. I'm happy to be here.
[Enesta Jones] This is all important information that will
help do-it-yourselfers protect themselves and their families
from lead poisoning. And for more information on
EPA's lead poisoning prevention program or to obtain
copies of brochures, go to
See you next time on Green Scene.