Lead Paint Research Paper
The visible condition of the home you are renting may not give you the clues you need to know that it is a safe place for you and your family to live. Lead paint can be an problem in homes built before 1978, and your landlord may not even have the answer when you ask about it.
Having a professional inspect your home may be expensive, and your landlord may not want to foot the bill. This is an instance where it is worthwhile to investigate for yourself.
Learning about lead
Web MD warns that lead is toxic, and although anyone can absorb it if lead dust is in the air, very young children may have greater exposure because they may put contaminated objects in their mouth. Not only are they at higher risk, they also may suffer more damage because
the lead affects their nervous system and brain development.
Testing for lead
It may be a good idea to have everyone in your home screened for lead. Although a positive blood test does not automatically mean the exposure came from your home, it does indicate that you should probably explore the situation further.
Many do-it-yourself testing kits are successful means for identifying lead. It is not necessarily be easy to use a test, but Consumer Reports states that home lead tests are worth the effort. There are two basic kinds, and that organization recommends that you use both since each may produce a false positive in different circumstances. A sulfide-based kit could give you a faulty result on dark colored paint, while a rhodizonate-based test may result in a false positive if you are testing pink or red paint. By using both, you eliminate most potential for error.
Telling your landlord
Although the state does not require your landlord to test for lead, once you show evidence that it is present, he or she should take care of it through removal or encapsulation. Because this may be a serious habitability issue, you may have legal options if the landlord does not take action.
Having a professional inspect your home may be expensive, and your landlord may not want to foot the bill. This is an instance where it is worthwhile to investigate for yourself.
Learning about lead
Web MD warns that lead is toxic, and although anyone can absorb it if lead dust is in the air, very young children may have greater exposure because they may put contaminated objects in their mouth. Not only are they at higher risk, they also may suffer more damage because
the lead affects their nervous system and brain development.
Testing for lead
It may be a good idea to have everyone in your home screened for lead. Although a positive blood test does not automatically mean the exposure came from your home, it does indicate that you should probably explore the situation further.
Many do-it-yourself testing kits are successful means for identifying lead. It is not necessarily be easy to use a test, but Consumer Reports states that home lead tests are worth the effort. There are two basic kinds, and that organization recommends that you use both since each may produce a false positive in different circumstances. A sulfide-based kit could give you a faulty result on dark colored paint, while a rhodizonate-based test may result in a false positive if you are testing pink or red paint. By using both, you eliminate most potential for error.
Telling your landlord
Although the state does not require your landlord to test for lead, once you show evidence that it is present, he or she should take care of it through removal or encapsulation. Because this may be a serious habitability issue, you may have legal options if the landlord does not take action.