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Protect Your family From Lead and Mold In Your Home


Lead


Are You Planning to Buy, Rent, or Renovate a Home Built Before 1978?

Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains lead (called lead-based paint). Lead from paint, chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly. By 1996, federal law will require that individuals receive certain information before renting, buying, or renovating pre-1978 housing.

LANDLORDS will have to disclose known information on lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect. Leases will include a federal form about lead- based paint.

SELLERS will have to disclose known information on lead-based paint hazards before selling a house. Sales contracts will include a federal form about lead-based paint in the building. Buyers will have up to 10 days to check for lead hazards.

RENOVATORS will have to give you this pamphlet before starting work.

IN YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION on these requirements, call the National Lead Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-424-LEAD.

IMPORTANT!

Lead From Paint, Dust, and Soil Can Be Dangerous If Not Managed Properly:
FACT: Lead exposure can harm young children and babies even before they are born.
FACT: Even children that seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies.
FACT: People can get lead in their bodies by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil or paint chips with lead in them.
FACT: People have many options for reducing lead hazards. In most cases, lead-based paint that is in good condition is not a hazard.
FACT: Removing lead-based paint improperly can increase the danger to your family.
If you think your home might have lead hazards, read the following information to learn some simple steps to protect your family.

Lead's Effects

If not detected early, children with lead in their bodies can suffer from:
  • Damage to the brain and nervous system
  • Behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity)
  • Slowed growth
  • Hearing problems
  • Headaches


Lead is also harmful to adults. Adults can suffer from:
  • Difficulties during pregnancy
  • Other reproductive problems (in both men and women)
  • High blood pressure
  • Digestive problems
  • Nerve disorders
  • Memory and concentration problems
  • Muscle and joint pain


Lead-based paint that is in good condition is usually not a hazard.

Call your state agency for help with locating qualified contractors in your area and to see if financial assistance is available.

For More Information

The National Lead Information Center
Call 1-800-LEAD-FYI to learn how to protect children from lead poisoning.
For other information on lead hazards, call the center's clearinghouse at 1-800-424-LEAD.

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline
Call 1-800-426-4791 for information about lead in drinking water or log onto www.epa.gov/safewater.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Hotline
To request information on lead in consumer products, or to report an unsafe consumer product or a product related injury call 1-800-638-2772.

For the hearing impaired, call 1-800-638-8270.

Los Angeles County Health Department
6053 Bristol Parkway
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 665-8484

SIMPLE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY FROM LEAD HAZARDS

If you think your home has high levels of lead:
  • Get your young children tested for lead, even if they seem healthy.
  • Wash children's hands, bottles, pacifiers, and toys often.
  • Make sure children eat healthy, low-fat foods.
  • Get your home checked for lead hazards.
  • Regularly clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces.
  • Wipe soil off shoes before entering house.
  • Talk to your landlord about fixing surfaces with peeling or chipping paint.
  • Take precautions to avoid exposure to lead dust when remodeling or renovating (call 1-800-424-LEAD for guidelines).
  • Don't use a belt-sander, propane torch, dry scraper, or dry sandpaper on painted surfaces that may contain lead.
  • Don't try to remove lead-based paint yourself.


Mold


WHAT IS MOLD?
  • Molds are a type of fungi. There are as many as 30 to 50 different types, and they are very widespread.
  • Molds play a key role in the breakdown of wood, leaves, and other plant debris, using this material for food. Hence without molds we likely would be overwhelmed with dead vegetable matter.
  • Molds reproduce by means of tiny microscopic spores. Some spores waft into the air and move about, settling in one place after another; others are sticky and cling to surfaces.
  • When spores land on anything damp, they begin digesting it and may eventually destroy it. Some spores are viable for years after they are produced, but even those that don’t continue to grow contain allergy-inducing substances.

Exposure and Health Effects
  • Molds produce allergens, irritants, and toxic substances called mycotoxins. Some molds produce several mycotoxins; some produce mycotoxins only under certain environmental conditions.
  • So far more than 200 mycotoxins have been identified in common molds. Some of these cling to the surface of mold spores; others may be found within the spores themselves.
  • While little information is available about many mycotoxins, a few are known to affect humans.
    • Aflatoxin B1, for example, is one of the most potent carcinogens known: If inhaled or ingested, it may cause liver cancer or lung cancer.
    • Two (2) molds that you may have read or heard about in the media, stachybotrys (black mold) and aspergillus, also produce potent toxins. The latter has been known to start growing in the lungs after mold spores have been inhaled.
  • Under the appropriate conditions, all molds have the potential to cause health problems in humans but all molds are not toxic.
  • The seriousness of the problem depends on the type of mold, the type and level of exposure, and the age and sensitivity of the person exposed.
    • A person with a weakened immune system, for instance, may be more vulnerable to health problems caused by molds than a person with a strong immune system.
  • Exposure to molds may occur by inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact.
  • Typical health problems that may result from exposure include headaches, breathing difficulties, skin irritation, allergic reactions, nosebleeds, burning sensations in the mouth and nose, and aggravation of asthma symptoms.
  • There are currently no clinical tests to determine the source, place, or time of exposure to molds. The antibodies developed by the exposed person are the only documentation that exposure has occurred. Since exposure routinely occurs both indoors and outdoors, this information is of little value.
  • Mold may begin growing after 48 hours of standing water or moisture.

Prevention
  • The key to mold control is moisture control. Molds need food as well as water to survive; however, since they can digest most things, water is the factor that limits their growth.

Preventing Mold Growth
  • Fix plumbing and roof leaks as soon as possible.
  • Clean and empty heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) drip pans on a regular basis.
  • Vent moisture-generating appliances, such as dryers, to the outside.
  • Watch for condensation and wet spots. Prevent condensation by increasing surface temperature or reducing humidity.
  • Clean and dry damp or wet spots within 48 hours.
  • Maintain relative indoor humidity below 60% - ideally between 30% and 50%.
  • Do not let your foundation stay wet.
  • Make sure the ground around the perimeter of the house and garage slopes away from your foundation and that drainage is adequate.
  • Do not store organic materials (papers, books, clothes, etc.) in humid locations (such as un-insulated basements, hot water heater enclosures or attics).

Investigation and Evaluation
  • Inspection is the most important initial step in identifying mold contamination and devising a remediation strategy.
  • Some building materials tend to trap moisture beneath their surfaces; hence mold growth is not always obvious.
  • You may suspect hidden mold if a building smells moldy but you cannot see the source or if you know there has been water damage and the occupants are reporting health problems.
  • Locating hidden mold problems may be difficult, and care must be taken not to disturb potential growth sites. If mold is growing on the back of wallpaper, for example, removing the paper can lead to a massive release of spores.

Remediation
  • The goal of remediation is to remove or clean contaminated materials in a way that not only protects the health of occupants and workers but also prevents fungi and dust from leaving a work area and entering an occupied or non-abatement area.
  • When fungal growth requiring large-scale remediation is found, the building owner or manager should notify occupants in the affected area of its presence, describe the remedial measures to be taken, and provide a timetable for completion.
  • The level of remediation, like containment, is determined primarily by the size of the contamination area. Although guidelines developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identify three levels of remediation, those developed by New York City’s Department of Health identify five levels (with the fifth level covering HVAC systems only), and many states are adapting these guidelines for their own use.
    • None of the levels include special requirements for the disposal of bagged moldy materials.

Recent Development in Mold Remediation
  • State and city government have begun to address mold problems. California, for example, passed Senate Bill 732, which would enact the Toxic Mold Protection Act of 2001, and New York City has developed guidelines for the assessment and remediation of fungi, including mold.

For more information on mold, you may access the following EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/mold/