Dust masks and lead paint.
Jonathan M Whitehead
I'm about to start decorating the interior of my house and on most of
the wooden painted surfaces I want to try and get back down to the wood
before painting it again. Some of the layers of paint I guess must be
older than 30 years so I reckon it must have a lead content in it. The
question is what sort of dust mask do I need to protect myself from the
lead paint? I've looked in the sheds and the masks they have don't make
any mention of being protective against leaded paint dust and I read
somewhere that you should ensure that it specifically states that it is
suitable for use in a lead paint dust environment. Can anybody suggest
where I can find some dust masks that are suitable?
Jon.
Chris French
<j.m.wh...@sheffield.ac.uk> writes
>Hi,
>
>I'm about to start decorating the interior of my house and on most of
>the wooden painted surfaces I want to try and get back down to the wood
>before painting it again. Some of the layers of paint I guess must be
>older than 30 years so I reckon it must have a lead content in it. The
>question is what sort of dust mask do I need to protect myself from the
>lead paint?
If you are removing lead paint then you *do not* want to be making any
dust. It will float about the house no matter how careful you are.
Have a look in the FAQ, there is a bit in there on the recommendations
for removing lead paint, which are basically - don't rub down dry or use
a blow torch, use a hot air gun, chemical stripper, or rub down wet.
The info comes from a leaflet, there is a new version out which I picked
up in a shed - which has reminded me to find it and revamp the bit in
the FAQ.
--
Chris French, Leeds