Lead (Pb) can come from many sources such as automobile and industrial emissions, surface and ground water, soil, dust, a few outdoor sportsman activities (i.e. fishing or hunting -- from lead weights or ammunition), solder, and paint. Lead-Based Paint (LBP) is simply any paint material containing levels of lead (chemical symbol: "Pb") which can be harmful to humans, most especially children.
Currently, the level at which lead in paint is considered harmful to human health is either:
OR
Simply put, any paint containing levels of lead equal to or higher than either (1.0 mg/cm2) or 600 parts per million is considered hazardous to human health. These levels, or action limits, were established by HUD, EPA, many Federal, State, and local health and environmental officials, and more. Only in a very few jurisdictions are these limits different. For example, in the states of New York and Massachusetts, the LBP action limit is (0.7 mg/cm2) -- a much more stringent level.
For many hundreds of years LBP was used extensively to paint most any kind of material. In itself, LBP is a good paint in terms of durability, longevity, color, and other qualities which define good paint material. However, lead and LBP is toxic to humans and the human bodily system. The medical and health effects due to LBP exposure (typically through ingestion or inhalation) can be quite severe and irreversible. Just briefly, excessive blood-lead levels can severly damage a child's brain and central nervous system
Lead was major ingredient in many types of house paint for years prior to and through World War II. In the early 1950's, other pigment materials became more popular, but lead compounds were still used in some pigments and drying agents. Federal regulatory efforts began with the enactment of the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (LBPPPA) in 1971. In 1973, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) established a maximum lead content in paint of 0.5% by weight in a dry film of paint newly applied; in 1978, CPSC lowered the allowable lead level in paint to 0.06% by weight.
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Last updated: January 17, 1996.