PERTH RENOVATORS – ARE YOU SAFE FROM HAZARDOUS DUST IN YOUR HOME?

If you’re in the building trade in Perth, a renovator, DIY enthusiast, carpenter or simply a home handyman – you may want to pay attention to the following important health information.

Everyone knows about the dangers of working with asbestos, but another common household substance – lead – can be equally as risky. Exposure to lead can be harmful to your health, causing long-term problems.

Because the most common source of lead dust is from the paint in older buildings, people involved in the building industry, renovators, roofing contractors etc are potentially at greater risk. Lead dust also affects everyone living in the home – including pets – with younger children and pregnant women at greater risk.

Older homes are more likely to have lead-based paint. Up until the early seventies, lead based paint was common, and although it isn’t generally problematic if it is in good condition, the risks increase when it starts to peel, chip and crack or during building works. Lead dust is also found in attics, under floor boards and in cavity walls, so there are risks when building work involves the demolition of ceilings and walls, intrusion into the roof space (eg installation of skylights) etc.

Lead dust is also created when lead-based paint is dry scraped, sanded or heated up. Dust can also form when painted surfaces grind together, such as windows and window sills, old painted furniture etc. A DIY kit from a hardware store may be available for testing paint, but it’s always best to have qualified professionals to do an inspection, risk assessment and clean-up of hazardous dust, asbestos and lead.

And merely painting over the problem will not eliminate the risk. The problem has to be physically removed ie with a hazardous dust vacuum, so if you’re building, renovating or simply living in an older home, it’s best to call in the experts or make sure you have the proper equipment.

There are special vacuum machines that are designed for heavy duty work, virtually indestructible, lightweight yet sturdy. They are easily maneuverable and have features such as flexible plastic hoses suitable for use in confined spaces, such as roofs.

The growing awareness of the risks of lead dust has led to increased demand for hazardous dust machines for lead, a Perth supplier claims – plus the machines are also used in a variety of other cleaning applications such as the building industry, pharmaceutical and chemical industries and hospitals. And talking of hospitals, in nearly all the admissions of children to hospital for treatment of lead poisoning in Australia, the lead came from dust or paint flakes made during home renovations - an important fact for every parent and building contractor to note.

If this has given you food for thought, and you’re chewing on your lead pencil as you digest it…. don’t panic! ’Lead’ pencils don’t contain any lead – the black stuff is carbon and they are absolutely safe. But the same may not be said for your home or your building project, so when it comes to cleaning up hazardous dust, make sure you do it properly.