Although the manufacture of lead-based paint has been against the law for decades, it is still around and it is still an issue of concern for both homeowners and real estate professionals. During the early 1990s, a law referred to as the Housing and Community Development Act established a requirement that the seller was required to make a disclosure of lead-based paint hazards to the buyer of a home. Lead had been used as a paint additive for over 120 years before it was associated with health problems in approximately 1978. Effective that year, the addition of lead to paint was no longer permitted. Any home built prior to 1978 before the law was put into effect, however, could potentially have lead paint.

What Can It Do?
The presence of lead paint in a home environment can lead to lead poisoning. Young children under six years old have the greatest risk of developing lead poisoning from leaded paint because growing bodies take in whatever mineral substances with which they come into contact. This is equally true whether it is something vital for growth such as calcium, or lead with all its deleterious effects. Continuously high levels of lead can cause brain and vital organ damage, behavioral problems, hearing loss, and damage to the nervous system. These problems can occur in both adults and children, and additionally in the case of children, growth can be impaired.

If your home was built prior to 1978 and has cracked, flaking, or chipped paint, that condition should be treated as a potential hazard and repaired. If paint containing lead was used around door or window frames in the home, normal usage of these things in the home may be generating a surprisingly large amount of dust that contains lead. This dust is a toxic material and can be almost impossible to dispose of. Sweeping, vacuuming, and dusting can cause it to reenter the air and it just shifts around whenever you go near it.

In order to find out whether or not your home has leaded paint, if your home was built before the 1978 ban, the most conservative course of action is to get a paint inspection done by a trained professional. That will let the homeowner determine the degree of safety of lead additive in every painted surface and will reveal any areas or sources of serious contamination. Though there are kits that homeowners can buy to do the testing themselves, the EPA recommends an inspection conducted by an experienced to find any dangerous areas that may be missed by the untrained eye.

Lead paint in the home is not something that can be ignored. The effects are serious and may take years to show any obvious signs. For the safety of your entire family, if you live in a home built before 1978, take the necessary steps to be sure you're safe.

This information was presented by the Colorado real estate specialists of Automated Homefinder.