Remodeling to add some 'greeen' features to your home? Concerned about the formaldehyde that off gasses from most cabinetry? Do you know how much lead it takes to cause a difference in IQ with your child, how much lead that can cause miscarriages? Take a packet of Equal (the sugar substitute) and pore it onto the table. Extract 15 (yes 15) granules. That's is how much lead can cause lead poisoning. Did I mention that it causes learning disabilities, lowered IQ and attention deficit disorder?
Lead based paint was banned in 1978. So all homes that are older than 1978 have a chance of having lead based paint in them. If you are lucky and live in one of those beautiful classic homes in our area, you can just about guarantee that somewhere under the many layers of paint on your wall, you have lead based paint. Like asbestos, it is harmless unless it is disturbed. What do we do in remodels? We cut up the walls, removed some, add others. In other words, we disturb the heck out of it.
I have been very concerned about the health of our families and the affect that our homes have on their health. We are always talking about eating the correct foods to stay healthy. How about breathing the right air? There needs to be a different kind of construction/remodeling that takes place. A different set of standards. I have implemented a new safety and dust plan to capture all dust (lead or not) that may come from a remodeling project. We need to keep everyone healthy, the home owners, the workers, our environment. There is a new level of safety/health concerns and conversations that have been weaning its way into the Interior Design /Architectural /Construction set of morals, codes of conduct and codes of law. We're all still working on this one step at a time. One day we will figure out how to provide good shelter for our bodies without poisoning ourselves. On that happy note, I am proud to say that I am now an EPA Certified Renovator! I can now Officially test for lead paint and perform quality remodels without harming the people who live and work in that home. One baby step in the right direction.....