How bad is dust from lead paint? Most of it has been stripped, but now must be sanded. Any woodworkers?

Question

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Answer 1

I would of recommended that a chemical stripper should have been used. That way you would avoid the dust that is created by sanding.

Answer 2

Lead paint dust is VERY dangerous to all living creatures and especially so for small creatures (children & pets) and pregnant women.

From Wikipedia: "Lead causes nervous system damage, hearing loss, stunted growth, and delayed development. It can cause kidney damage and affects every organ system of the body. It also is dangerous to adults, and can cause reproductive problems for both men and women.

One myth related to lead-based paint is that the most common cause of poisoning was eating leaded paint chips. In fact, the most common pathway of childhood lead exposure is through ingestion of lead dust through normal hand-to-mouth contact during which children swallow lead dust dislodged from deteriorated paint or leaded dust generated during remodeling or painting. Lead dust from remodeling or deteriorated paint lands on the floor near where children play and can ingest it."

You can't just sand lead paint... the dust will get everywhere and remain a hazard for a long, long time.

And you can't just slap on a dust mask and start sanding... a those paper dust masks won't protect you at all.

You're gonna need a properly fitted respirator with a special lead (HEPA) filter, goggles, gloves and to prepare your work area paying particular attention to sealing it off from the rest of your home w/ plastic and tape as well as ensuring all air systems (whole house, fans, heaters, a/c, etc. are turned off so they don't drag the lead dust throughout the home. Make sure you remove everything from the room, especially cloth/fabric items and rugs which will harbor the dust.

Make sure no children, pets or pregnant women are in the home during the sanding and the cleanup. Do not eat, drink or smoke in the sanding area.

And make sure you "sand wet"...  use a spray bottle of water and spray the surface you intend to sand to minimize the dust raised.

After the job is done, don't try to use a normal vacuum or shop vac to clean up as it'll spread the lead dust far & wide. The easiest way to cleanup is to use damp rags continuously  wrung out in clean water to clean every surface; plan on throwing these rags away when you're done. There are special lead filters for use in HEPA vacuums that will suck up the lead paint debris/dust, but you may not want to invest in one if the job is small.

Make sure you dispose of all plastic/tape/tarps used around the sanding project and wash your clothes VERY thoroughly.

Hope this helps,

      TX Griff

PS: Using a heat gun to remove lead paint can be as, or more, dangerous... the fumes can be caustic and removing lead paint w/ heat is best done by a professional lead abatement company.