Lead used to be utilized in many ways in home construction in the past. Adding lead to paint made the colors more vibrant, made it dry faster, last longer, and made it water resistant. Lead pipes and solder were used in most plumbing solutions. All this changed in the 1970’s when it was discovered that lead can cause birth defects, neural damage, and kidney damage, among many other things.
While it has been about 50 years since the use of lead in these applications was outlawed, many older homes still have lead paint and pipes. For families with children, this is extra concerning, since young children tend to put things in their mouths. Plus, they are extra sensitive to the effects of lead.
You can recognize peeling lead paint by the scaly look it will have. If you believe you have lead paint, you should be careful when cleaning it up. If you don’t have any experience with it, it might be safer to hire someone that does. It is very easy to release particles of lead into the air that can then enter your bloodstream through your lungs.
