Fugitive Dust

Paul and I have been living in fear.

This is the wall leading down into our basement.

Our home was built in 1910. We were sure that there was lead paint in our basement. Our two oldest children have been tested for lead poisoning and I have a lab slip for my third child's imminent blood draw. It's hard to pretend that a one year old that takes the stairs on all fours would not end up with a paint chip or two in his mouth.

Enter the EPA. Apparently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), have declared war against lead poisoning. Their goal? To eliminate childhood lead poisoning by 2010.

Wait. Isn't it..?

Yes, it is already 2010. We are behind the eight ball and so is the rest of the country. Contractors, Construction Companies and Builders are now scrambling to become Certified Renovators in the State of Wherever They Are From. We were scrambling too. Paul and I attended a class March 27th, 2010 provided by Brindley Byrd of Qx2. Paul is now a Certified Renovator in the State of Michigan. We have been trained to contain the fugitive dust that is our enemy. No really. That's a phrase coined by the EPA. I did not make that up:)

Back to the kids.

As a part of the training, Paul was given the opportunity to learn how to test painted surfaces for lead using the LeadCheck Test Kit. As soon as we arrived home and tucked our pint sized pea squishers into bed, we made a bee line for the basement wall. We were both full of anxiety. Due to the full day of training we knew that if the test for lead was positive we were in for a weekend of more than just scraping and painting.


If your home was built prior to 1978 and you have children under the age of six you need to test for lead before you disturb any area larger than six square feet. Why? Because lead poisoning affects the nervous system of your steadily developing child permanently. It can affect their brain, fertility and motor skills. For more information on how to determine lead hazards watch this video from the EPA.

Paul cleaned the area, scraped a knotch in the paint (as if it wasn't chipped enough already) and tested. Nervously, I watched him rub the test over the surface of our multicolored walls for 30 seconds. If the test was red, then we had a lead paint situation. If not, scrape and repaint with a regular dust mask at your hearts delight.

This is what we found.

Phew.

Throughout the informative training class we kept eyeing each other with concern. We work in an industry where anyone with a hammer and a truck can call themselves a contractor. We have spent hours correcting the cracked, popping unbonded tile installations of Joe Handy and his gang. We are saddened when we see a customer that has spent thousands of dollars on a tile installation that should have lasted thirty years and we are replacing their floor in five. It's not fair but you get what you pay for.

"How in the world are we going to convince our customers to pay us extra for the additional steps it takes to protect their family from lead? "

I think that we will serve the same great clientele as we have in the past. We will serve those that find comfort in our 10+ years of experience. We will serve those that know that our license and insurance is available to protect them as much as it is to protect us. We can now offer an added benefit. We are trained to protect our customer's family from lead!

We know the peace that can bring.