Home Inspections: Lead
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LEAD
Lead poses a serious health threat. In the 1920's, it was commonly found in many plumbing systems. In fact, the word "plumbing" is derived from the Latin word "plumbum", which means lead.
Lead is a metal that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. It has been spread throughout the environment in many ways. It used to be used in paint, many homes built before 1978, have lead based paint, the federal government banned lead based paint from housing in 1978. It can be found in soils which can pick up lead from exterior paint and use of leaded gas in cars. Household dust can pick up lead from deteriorating lead-based paint from soil tracked into homes. Some houses have plumbing with lead and/or lead solder. Lead cannot be seen and has no smell or taste and boiling water will not get rid of lead. Other ways lead can find it’s way into homes is from work clothes, toys, furniture, foods/liquids stored in lead-glazed pottery or porcelain, certain types of industries releasing lead into air, hobbies that use lead, like stained glass and pottery
When in use as a component of a waste system, it does not constitute a viable health threat, but as a component of potable water pipes, it would certainly be a health hazard. Although rarely found in use, lead could be present in any home built as recently as the nineteen forties.
Lead poisoning occurs when individual inhales or swallows lead in any form. Lead can damage many parts of the body, especially the brain and nerves and cause high blood pressure.
Learn more about lead from the following link
www.hlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leadpoisoning/html
Learn more about lead-based paint from following links and phone center
www.epa.gov/lead/
www.hud.gov/offices/lead/
National Lead Information Center 1-800-424-LEAD (5323)
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