Lead paint on windows...what to do?

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Author Message   ASH Citizen Username: Ash Post Number: 44 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Sunday, November 2, 2003 - 9:19 pm:        Hello there, We're about to move into our new (to us, but built in 1929) house with our 7-month-old son and are concerned about lead paint. We're having the whole interior repainted, but I'm worried about our upstairs windows. The interior part of the window (meaning the part facing into the house) is now painted over with new paint, but the tracks where the windows slide up and down have chipped paint that most likely contains lead. (this is true for all the windows upstairs...luckily for us the previous owner removed all the paint from the windows downstairs.) I imagine that trying to paint the tracks over would screw up the window workings, and that taking out this old paint will be a messy and dangerous job. Our plan is to keep these windows closed for the winter, and try to remediate this in the spring. Our home inspector told us that even opening and closing the windows would release lead dust into the air. Another issue is that we are going to have to replace one of the windows at the side of the house because the frame is rotted. Anyhow, to end this long story--what should we do? It seems one solution would be to replace all the windows upstairs, but I like the look of the old windows and panes and would love to find a safe way to keep them. I recall someone on the board mentioned a team of guys who do a great job of fixing up old windows...anyway any suggestions would be welcome!   tjohn Citizen Username: Tjohn Post Number: 1859 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Sunday, November 2, 2003 - 10:08 pm:        It is worth remembering that the overwhelming majority of child lead poisoning cases are due to: 1. Peeling and chipping paint that children can eat. 2. Improper home repairs that create a lot of lead paint dust. Unless you are opening and closing windows hundreds of times per day, I simply can't believe that a meaningful amount of lead paint dust will be created. If you see any chips, wipe them up with a damp rag. Practically everybody over the age of 30 and many younger people grew up in houses with lead paint. If those painted surfaces were maintained in good condition, then the risk was negligible.   botulismo Citizen Username: Botulismo Post Number: 100 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Monday, November 3, 2003 - 8:09 am:        I would agree with tjohn that unless you are opening your windows and the source of lead paint is on the tracks and well of your upstairs window, it is unlikely that you are producing friction products, that is lead containing dust. Dust, not chips is the greatest exposure for kids. Friction products settle on the floor and children incidentally come in contact with it. Children ingest it when they stick their hands in their mouths. One other area to look is at painted doors and jambs. Like tjohn said - keep your window closed until you can safely remove it. Read the following article from Fine Homebuilding. It has many links to lead safety sites including HUD and EPA. http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/h00108.asp   ASH Citizen Username: Ash Post Number: 45 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Monday, November 3, 2003 - 9:04 am:        Thanks tjohn and botulismo--it's good to know that keeping the window closed will be safe for the time being. I assume removing the lead paint is a job we'd want a professional to do, and that painting over the tracks and well would end up screwing up the window...any thoughts   cam1 Citizen Username: Cam1 Post Number: 60 Registered: 6-2001 Posted on Monday, November 3, 2003 - 9:21 am:        Also, children with high intakes of calcium and iron are less affected by lead. My daughter was raised in a house with no lead at all and her blood lead level was one, my son (now 5) spent his infancy and toddlerhood (the high risk ages) here in my 115+ year old, lead encrusted house and his level was 4 (under 9 is ok). So feed baby well, wash hands before eating, get a HEPA vacuum and use it often, wipe windowsills with baby wipes if you open windows, and relax.   jfburch Citizen Username: Jfburch Post Number: 1042 Registered: 6-2001 Posted on Monday, November 3, 2003 - 12:42 pm:        What they said. We have lead painted windows, old and in crappy shape and my two young kids have had no lead problems. Washing the sills and runners occasionally with a dishwasher soap solution can help since there's something in there that binds with lead. Honestly, reasonable cleaning and good nutrition is all you probably need to do. Your kid should have a lead screening somewhere between 1 and 2 years and you can do it at both 1 and 2 if you are very concerned. Certainly talk to your pediatrician about when and how much to monitor. It is very easy to monitor and keep track of your kid's safety regardless of the condition of your house. My older kid's lead level dropped between 1 and 2 years old when we moved here from Brooklyn (where we'd only stayed for 6 months). It was technically low enough to be safe even at a year, though I was still a bit concerned (since it's more and more clear that even moderately low levels are not good). Since we've been here, and for my younger kid, the levels have been miniscule--even though we haven't gotten around to dealing with the old windows.   themp Citizen Username: Themp Post Number: 240 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Monday, November 3, 2003 - 4:03 pm:        reassuring to hear. We went so far as to have mom-to-be's lead level checked. I think mopping and vacuuming often is a good idea. You do hear stories all the time of people living right in your neighborhood who end up with problems. One of my brother's neighbors had to have some radical procedure on their daughter after doing a lot of home restoration. We got new windows for our second floor. I had lead soldier when I was a kid, and I distinctly remember putting splitshot fishing weights in my mouth and biting them to split the opening wider.   ASH Citizen Username: Ash Post Number: 46 Registered: 8-2003 Posted on Monday, November 3, 2003 - 8:26 pm:        Hee hee...yeah, I remember playing with the little balls of mercury that I found in the dentist's chair, and I turned out relatively OK! This is all very reassuring, especially since dealing with the windows now would be just one more thing on top of a million others that we're having to deal with...and of course more $$$....moving sucks, but I'm glad we're doing it!