Lead in any form is toxic to humans when ingested and inhaled. Repeated inhalation or ingestion of lead dust or paint particles may produce the cumulative effects of lead poisoning.
Lead in Paint
White lead (lead carbonate) was once the principal white pigment in paints for houses and public buildings.
Many older homes and buildings still contain lead paint, even though it may be covered with layers of more recent paint. It was used mainly on exterior surfaces and to a lesser extent on interior doors and architraves, especially in undercoats and primers where concentrations of up to 20% lead were commonly used. Interior walls were not commonly painted with paint containing white lead, but some colours did contain red, yellow or orange lead-chrome pigments.
Although all paints manufactured for Australian dwellings from the 1980s onwards will have contained less than 1% lead, it is possible that industrial paints, having higher concentrations of lead, may have been applied to housing and commercial buildings.
Lead paint removal methods give rise to two potential health problems, i.e. inhalation or ingestion of lead paint by the workers and public in the vicinity of the structure and the deposition of lead paint on nearby footpaths, streets or soil where they may be re-suspended, tracked into houses or buildings where it can be inhaled or ingested.
Lead in Ceiling Dust
The presence of lead deposits within ceiling spaces may result from renovation of that building or may emanate from other external sources such as atmospheric deposits caused by leaded petrol used in motor vehicles; residues from nearby industrial sites, such as smelters; or other lead paint removal projects being performed in the vicinity of the building.
