Lead Safe Housing
I'm a property owner. Where can I find more information about making my properties lead free?
Access federal grant money to help replace lead-painted windows in your rental properties through Hennepin County's Lead Hazard Control Program. For more information:
What is lead?
Lead is a metal that has been used in many things such as paint, gasoline, pottery, water pipes, batteries, and other products. It has been useful, but it is also a poison. Lead can harm anyone who swallows or breathes it, and is especially dangerous for young children.
Why do we worry about lead?
Lead is harmful to adults and children that can cause:
In Adults: high blood pressure, fertility problems, nerve disorders, muscle and joint pain, irritability, and memory or concentration problems.
In children: exposure to even a small amount of lead can result in learning disabilities, reduced IQ, attention deficit disorders, behavioral problems, slowed growth, and impaired hearing. At high levels, lead poisoning can cause convulsions, coma, and death.
Where is lead found? - In older homes: lead from paint in older houses is the biggest source of childhood lead poisoning. Many homes built before 1978 have paint that contains lead. When the paint chips, peels, or is worn by friction, there is a danger of lead exposure. Lead may also be present in a home’s water pipes.
- At the worksite: jobs that involve demolition or remodeling older homes, working with batteries or radiators, welding, or working at a shooting range are among those that may expose workers to lead. These people may unknowingly bring lead dust home on clothes, shoes, hair, or skin.
- Hobbies: hobbies that may expose people to lead include packing bullets, making or using lead fishing sinkers, working with stained glass, pottery, or ceramics, and refinishing furniture.
- Other sources: people can be exposed to lead in other ways, too, such as contact with bare soil, contaminated air, ceramics and pottery, some home remedies and ethnic medicines, and hair dyes and cosmetics.
What is lead safe housing?
A property which contains no lead hazards - no painted surfaces with deteriorated lead-based paint, no lead-based paint on friction surfaces such as doors and windows, minimal levels of lead in exposed soil, minimal lead in the drinking water and no lead dust within a property. It does not mean that all lead paint has been eliminated from a property, but it does mean that that at the time of inspection, the property was deemed safe by a certified building inspector. Lead-based paint that is in good condition (that is, it is not chipped,
peeling or flaking) is only a lead hazard if it is on a window or door
where friction will wear the paint into lead dust, or if a child can
mouth it.
Why is it important to have a lead-safe home?
A lead-safe home minimizes the likelihood of lead-poisoning. Studies show that children with high lead levels are more likely to have lower IQ scores, slower development, and greater attention problems than children with lower lead levels. Acute lead poisoning can cause death. Lead is especially dangerous to children six years of age and under, to pregnant women, and to nursing mothers.
How can I find out if there is lead in my home?
Ask your landlord to hire a licensed lead inspector to conduct a complete inspection. The inspector will test painted surfaces to determine the level of lead in the paint, and can test the drinking water and any exposed soil. S/he will inform your landlord if there any immediate lead hazards in your home. Lead-based paint was outlawed for home use in 1978, so properties built after 1978 will probably not have lead-based paint in them.