The Dangers in Buying Old Homes: Even the Paint Can Hurt You
Even though lead-based paint no longer allowed, it is still a very real issue for sellers and real estate agents. In the early 1990s, a law called the Housing and Community Development Act established a legal requirement that a seller had to make a formal disclosure of known lead-based paint hazards to the purchaser of a home. Lead had been used as a paint additive for well over a century before it was associated with health problems in 1978. That year, the addition of lead to paint would no longer be allowed. Any home that was built prior to 1978 could potentially have a lead-based paint problem.
Simply stated, the specific danger is lead poisoning. Young children, especially those who are under six years of age run the greatest risk of developing lead poisoning from lead paint because their actively growing bodies absorb whatever minerals they are exposed to, regardless of whether it is much needed calcium or a dangerous substance like lead. Continuously high levels of lead in the body can cause brain damage, behavior problems, hearing difficulties, and can seriously damage the nervous system. These problems can occur in adults and children, and additionally in the case of children, normal growth patterns can be hampered.
Any home that was built before 1978 that has cracked, flaking, or chipping paint should be considered to be a potential hazard and should be removed or painted over immediately. If lead paint was used around the door or window frames in the home, opening and closing these items may be creating a surprisingly large amount of dust containing lead. This dust is a toxic substance and can be almost impossible to dispose of. Normal vacuuming and dusting can cause the lead dust to get back into the air and it just shifts around whenever you touch it.
Finding Out if You Have Lead Paint Risk
In order to determine whether or not your home has lead paint, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that every home built prior to 1978 receive a paint inspection conducted by a trained professional. That will let you know lead additive in every painted surface and will uncover any areas of lead exposure.
Even though there are testing kits available that allow homeowners test on their own, an inspection by an experienced professional is recommended by the EPA to discover any dangerous areas that may be overlooked by someone who lacks experience. Some states have very specific rules and regulations about repairing of a lead-based paint issue, and the professional inspectors will be able to advise the homeowner of these rules and let them know what to do about removing lead-based paint from their home or whatever other steps may be required.
This article was provided by Automated Homefinder, the ultimate Longmont real estate specialists in Colorado.
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