Once used as an additive to make a little paint go further, lead is now recognized as a harmful toxin.
Canadian paint manufacturers have agreed to restrictions on lead in paint since 1991. If your managed property was built prior to that, as many properties in Toronto and Southern Ontario were, lead paint was probably applied to the interior surfaces. Even if the old plaster walls have been replaced with fresh new drywall, the window sills and door frames may still have a layer or two of lead hiding under the newer paint.
Understanding the danger of lead in your property and the various treatments options is important. Decon Environmental Remediation is here to answer any questions you may have about the presence of lead and to help address your concerns.
Is Lead Paint Really That Harmful?
The most recent studies from the scientific community indicates that any exposure to lead, even at very low levels, can have lasting detrimental effects on human health. Children are especially susceptible to the higher levels of lead absorption in the bloodstream, and have a greater likelihood of long-term health effects from lead exposure. Like most poisonous substances, there is no level that is considered safe in the home.
How Do I Determine If There Is Lead Paint In My House?
The only way to know for sure that the paint in your home contains lead is to have it tested by a qualified professional. Home test kits from the hardware store are not faultless, and they cannot give a factual assessment of the level of lead in your home or the danger it presents. If you are planning renovations to a home built prior to the ban on lead paint, it is imperative to test for the presence of lead paint before you start disrupting interior finishes.
Did you know?
Painting over mould will not kill or seal it up. Just because you can’t see mould, doesn’t mean that you don’t have it.
Decon Environmental Remediation can help detect and treat mould problems
How Do I Get Rid Of It?
Common paint removal methods like dry sanding, dry scraping or power sanding do not work for lead removal. These methods can create a cloud of lead dust that can spread and sicken the occupants of the home, thereby contributing to the very problem you were hoping to avoid.
In some cases, if the paint layer is intact the safest course of action may be to leave the painted surface alone to avoid creating harmful lead dust. However, if the paint is damaged in any way (cracked, chipped, peeling, etc.) it must be addressed. Safe lead handling practices include:
- Enclosure to cover the lead surface with a new material like aluminium on window sills.
- Encapsulation that bonds a new material to the lead paint to keep it from chipping or flaking.
- Replacement of the affected windows, doors, or woodwork which may be necessary if the lead paint cannot otherwise be safely removed.
- Removal by wet hand scraping, wet hand sanding and power sanding with HEPA filters, or low temperature heat stripping followed by hand scraping.
Proper lead treatment, or lead abatement, requires professional intervention to ensure the safety of your family.
Why You Should Hire Us For Lead Treatment?
Decon Environmental Remediation is an expert in lead treatment in Toronto and Southern Ontario. We provide you with a unique understanding of the particular challenges such as home age and typical construction and finishing techniques specific to your home. Your safety is our first priority in our lead treatment services, but your 100% satisfaction with our work is a close second.
We decided to do some extensive renovations to our house and because it was built around the time that may contain asbestos materials, we decided to do some testing. After going through countless companies to qualify their credentials for the project, Decon Environmental was selected out of all the companies that were on the short list. Aside from the qualifications that must be met such as Insurance specific to abatement, licensed/certified workers, and the standard procedures specific to the type of abatement of a project, we based our decision on additional factors. The experience and expertise that Angela brought to the table was very valuable. Her understanding and compassion for home owners faced with this material when trying to upgrade their homes was very welcoming. She was able to provide a wealth of information to educated us to protect ourselves. She was the only consultant that actually got down to the ground in her work attire to try to take out a piece of under laying tile from the floor vent that was underneath a layer of ceramic tile to confirm our suspicion of another area that may contain asbestos. This showed her dedication and willingness to help us quickly in determining the scope of the project. Dealing with Angela as a point person made the process more streamlined and seamless.
We were extremely happy with our decision after seeing how the team on site worked. Looking at Juan and his crew work together showed the experience that they had in dealing with these materials. What impressed me was the sheer process in setting up the containment. Juan simply rambled off instructions to his crew and without any questions, they got to work. It was almost as if it was rehearsed. That made our decision even more comforting that we chose the right company. If I were to use a word to describe their work, it would be “surgical”.
All that being said, we hired a 3rd party consultant to perform an inspection of the setup, pre-lockdown inspection and aggressive air sampling at the end of the project. Throughout each stage, the consultant was highly impressed with the results of what he saw. This was the final piece of the puzzle and confirmed our decision of choosing the right company overall.
The experience in dealing with Decon has been very positive. Their work is professional and precise, but their ability to bring it down a notch to personalize the experience is what sets them apart from the rest of the field.
