Hazardous Lead Paint Waste

Lead based paint is hazardous, because the toxic lead inside the paint readily leaches out of the paint into the surrounding environment posing a health threat to humans, animals, and some plants. Therefore, lead paint waste must be handled and disposed of as hazardous waste to protect people and the environment. All industrial and commercial lead paint removal jobs involve legal liability for hazardous waste disposal of the lead paint waste. Residential jobs are generally excluded by the EPA from legal obligation to handle and dispose of lead paint waste as hazardous waste. To avoid contamination of the environment, however, we recommend treating your lead paint waste as hazardous waste directing that waste to an appropriate hazardous waste site. An easy and less expensive alternative would be removing the paint with LEAD OUT® Paint Stripper, which will render the lead paint waste permanently non-hazardous allowing for less expensive and easier disposal. 

LEAD OUT® converts soluble lead compounds into insoluble lead-sulfide and protects it at the molecular level preventing the lead molecules from leaching out of the waste. We refer to this as chemical containment of the lead, which is a unique benefit of using LEAD OUT® Paint Stripper. It also helps with the physical containment of the lead paint with its thick gel stripper during removal, which helps comply with OSHA and EPA rules requiring containment of lead paint and lead dust.

Commercial and industrial contractors should send samples for laboratory analysis of the paint waste to document its non-hazardous state. The appropriate test is a Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, or "TCLP," often referred to as a "Tee-Clip." The reading will have to be less than 5.0 mg/l of lead to be classified as non-hazardous. Remember, a critical part of complying with lead laws and regulations is maintaining appropriate documentation. Previous use of Blue Bear® LEAD OUT® has produced TCLP results below 5.0 mg/l where Blue Bear® LEAD OUT® was used appropriately to remove lead based coatings or other hazardous heavy-metal based coatings.

Porches, Stairs, and Doorways

The paint on your front porch is likely to wear out quicker than other parts of your house due to heavy foot traffic and exposure to the elements. This wear and tear is likely to bring toxic lead into your house as you and others walk up your stairs, across the porch, and through your doorway bringing lead paint chips and dust with them. Many people have used Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT®  to eliminate the lead hazards on the entry-ways to their homes. 

Using Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT® to permanently remove lead based paint from your porch may be the simplest and easiest thing you can do to protect your family from exposure to toxic lead. A new coat of paint on that front porch could also do wonders for the aesthetic appeal of your home. A 200 square foot porch can be done with two gallons. A third gallon will take care of a few stairs and the front door.

Lead Safe America Foundation

The Lead Safe America Foundation (LSAF) is a charitable organization dedicated to helping people affected by lead poisoning and conducting public education programs for the public. Here is an excerpt from their website:

LSAF was founded to help alleviate the challenges faced by so many parents of lead-poisoned children.  We offer emergency intervention and support to families whose children have been diagnosed as positive for lead in their blood. We engage in outreach and education for the primary prevention of early childhood lead poisoning.  And finally – and perhaps most important – we provide support to parent-advocates so the web of information has a framework that can spread across the country with parents getting the information and resources they need and then turning around to – in turn- help other parents in the same situation.

Please consider donating to LSAF today! http://leadsafeamerica.org/donate/

Lead Paint Law Compliance

The EPA regulates activities that disturb lead based paint.  If you are conducting repairs or renovations and incidently must disturb lead based paint, then you are subject to follow the Repair, Renovations, and Painting regulations known as RRP.  If the job you are on is solely removing lead based paint just to get rid of it, then you are conducting lead paint abatement and subject to different and more stringent EPA rules. In either case, you or your company must have the proper certifications and follow lead safe work practices.  

Contrators and landlords are all subject to these rules. Homeowners working in their own home or friends working together for no compensation are not required to have certifications.  Homeowners or others disturbing lead paint, however, should always follow proper procedures for their own safety and the safety of those living or working in the building.

Using Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT® will help you contain the lead paint and easily pass the cleaning verification at the end of the job.  Do-it-yourself lead paint removal is made much simpler by using Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT® as it lifts the paint off the surface for easy removal in sheets that are easy to contain and dispose.  

Since Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT® renders the lead paint non-hazardous, you have no worries when you dispose of the paint waste as non-hazardous household garbage.  (Some states require testing of paint waste to verify that it is non-hazardous, other states follow the EPA household waste exemption that allows disposal of lead paint waste in non-hazardous garbage.  Please refer to your local laws when removing or disturbing lead based paint.)
 

Remove Lead Paint Using Paint Strippers

One of the safest and most effective ways to remove lead paint is to use a paint stripper.  Tips for selecting a paint stripper:

1. No methylene chloride. A common paint stripper is methylene chloride, which is toxic and dangerous.  When it combines with lead paint, poisonous lead fumes are created.  The EPA and many consumer and environmental groups recommend steering clear of methylene chloride.

2. Thickness. To help contain the lead paint waste and make clean up easier, choose a thick stripper.  These strippers will be described as a gel, semi-paste, or paste.

3. Chemical Containment.  The ideal paint stripper for lead paint removal will contain a special additive that reacts with the lead at the molecular level rending the lead paint non-hazardous.  This is the safest removal method possible as it creates a chemical containment of the lead so that it does not leach out of the paint and into its surrounding environment.

Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT® is a top-of-the-line lead paint removal system.  We combined the EPA "SITE" (Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation) proven technology, Molecular Bonding System or MBS, with an industrial strength, biodegradable, soy-based, gel paint stripper to create Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT®.  When the two components are combined it creates a thick semi-paste.  Blue Bear® LEAD-OUT® does not contain methylene chloride.  The MBS powder reacts with lead at the molecular level to create permanent containment of the lead molecules rendering the paint waste safe for you and the environment.