Lead in the City - Let's Get Rid of it!

What the problem is

In New York, lead can be found in over 13,000 apartments where children under the age of 6 reside. This is just in the year 2017 alone, meaning that over the years, thousands more houses have been found to have lead paint. Violations are fairly common in New York, and not working to solve the issue poses a great risk to the people who live there. 

What the risk is

Lead paint is generally not much of an issue until the paint starts to chip off. This leads to lead dust falling on surfaces, which can then be touched by children, who put their hands or toys in their mouths. This can be a serious hazard, as lead poisoning in children can lead to delayed physical growth as well as mental development.

What the need is

A reduction or removal of lead paint in a must, but there are serious issues regarding the practice of doing so. For instance, removing drywall or paint that contains lead can cause it to become airborne, and land on surfaces where small kids, and even adults, can accidentally ingest it, leading to heavy metal poisoning.

Lead paint testing can become an issue in and of itself. Many companies are barred from doing the tests themselves, due to the possibility of accidentally exacerbating the problem further, and causing lead dust.  Since most lead dust tests require creating the dust in order to sample it, it is not shocking how this can become a serious issue.

What the solution is

Since removing or demolishing the drywall or paint is a poor choice, the other option would be to use Encapsulants, or materials that are placed over the paint as a way to seal in the lead. This works well, as it prevents the lead from chipping and becoming dust in the first place.

Landlords can also do more in fixing the problems of lead exposure in the houses of tenants. With at least 13,000 lead violations in 2017 alone, a lot more can be done by landlords to eradicate the issue once and for all.

What the outcome will be

A lot of work has to be done to prevent lead exposure, especially in younger children. Reducing this exposure using encapsulants and testing for lead by using testing provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is a great way to reduce exposure. With the risk and harm that lead exposure brings, reducing exposure as much as possible is the best bet at countering it.

This post was created with expert advice from MKM Environmental New York