Questions and Answers (Q&A) Forgotten Chicago Forum
Have a question about a specific element in Chicago's history? Ask Away!
Lead paint
Posted by:
nordsider
()
Date: May 08, 2015 01:26PM
Considering the danger of lead paint and lead paint dust, especially for young children in their homes, what do you estimate its presence in old Chicago homes?
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdph/supp_info/food_environ/childhood_lead_poisoningpreventionandhealthyhomesprogram.html
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdph/supp_info/food_environ/childhood_lead_poisoningpreventionandhealthyhomesprogram.html
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
Dunning1
()
Date: May 08, 2015 03:44PM
It's probably all over the place, but I can't understand the danger as we grew up with it and are fine today. I think the key thing is to properly prepare the walls and paint them with a non lead paint that will not peel off. My grandfather was an old West Side guy, and even after moving to the northwest side he would still go down to the old Hooker Paint & Glass Co. on Washington Boulevard for all of his painting needs. After he died in 1971, when cleaning out his house, we found small tin cans of pure white lead from Hooker Paint to be used as a pigment in paints, not merely paint with lead in it. He would mix up his own paints using this Forgot how we disposed of them.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
WayOutWardell
()
Date: May 08, 2015 04:41PM
Add to that asbestos, knob-and-tube wiring and still-connected gas lighting lines and it's a wonder we just don't demolish it all and start all over!
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
davey7
()
Date: May 08, 2015 06:12PM
Knob & tube? In Chicago? Not much of that.
I just ground all the lead paint off my steel windows... I'm sure the EPA would have had a fit if I was a contractor.
I just ground all the lead paint off my steel windows... I'm sure the EPA would have had a fit if I was a contractor.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
PKDickman
()
Date: May 08, 2015 06:13PM
nordsider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Considering the danger of lead paint and lead
> paint dust, especially for young children in their
> homes, what do you estimate its presence in old
> Chicago homes?
>
> http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdph/s
> upp_info/food_environ/childhood_lead_poisoningprev
> entionandhealthyhomesprogram.html
Lead carbonate forms big flat crystals which grant it great covering power and great weather resistance. It was the goto exterior paint for 1500 years. I would hazard a guess that every house built before 1960 has some lead paint. But it was frickin' expensive and much less often used indoors where its weathering properties were not important.
But window sills and bathrooms could benefit from water resistance so it is a safe bet that they might have some. Add to that the number of times an older home has been painted. The chances of it being done by someone who thought they knew better or used "something they found in the basement" means Lead paint, anywhere on the interior of anything older than the 50s is probably better than even money.
If you are looking at the lead paint disclosure sheet on a home sale. Unless it was a one owner building, or had extensive remediation, I would assume the real answer to be yes.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Considering the danger of lead paint and lead
> paint dust, especially for young children in their
> homes, what do you estimate its presence in old
> Chicago homes?
>
> http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdph/s
> upp_info/food_environ/childhood_lead_poisoningprev
> entionandhealthyhomesprogram.html
Lead carbonate forms big flat crystals which grant it great covering power and great weather resistance. It was the goto exterior paint for 1500 years. I would hazard a guess that every house built before 1960 has some lead paint. But it was frickin' expensive and much less often used indoors where its weathering properties were not important.
But window sills and bathrooms could benefit from water resistance so it is a safe bet that they might have some. Add to that the number of times an older home has been painted. The chances of it being done by someone who thought they knew better or used "something they found in the basement" means Lead paint, anywhere on the interior of anything older than the 50s is probably better than even money.
If you are looking at the lead paint disclosure sheet on a home sale. Unless it was a one owner building, or had extensive remediation, I would assume the real answer to be yes.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
nordsider
()
Date: May 11, 2015 09:45AM
If Walls Could Talk: What Lead Is Doing To Our Students
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/04/14/398314591/if-walls-could-talk-what-lead-is-doing-to-our-students
Get The Lead Out: Panel Wants Kids' Limits Halved
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/05/144743676/get-the-lead-out-panel-wants-kids-limits-halved
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2015 09:54AM by nordsider.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/04/14/398314591/if-walls-could-talk-what-lead-is-doing-to-our-students
Get The Lead Out: Panel Wants Kids' Limits Halved
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/05/144743676/get-the-lead-out-panel-wants-kids-limits-halved
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2015 09:54AM by nordsider.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
rjmachon
()
Date: May 13, 2015 04:22PM
I use to paint cars and as late as 1995 Dupont Paint still used a red paint for a 1989 Chevrolet truck that contain lead!
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
PKDickman
()
Date: May 13, 2015 05:05PM
rjmachon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I use to paint cars and as late as 1995 Dupont
> Paint still used a red paint for a 1989 Chevrolet
> truck that contain lead!
Some manufacturers may still use some lead in auto paint. I don't know for sure, the technology on auto paint has changed so much in recent years, but the ban exempted auto, marine and tractor paints
You can still get red lead primer for marine uses. It costs about $100 a quart.
-------------------------------------------------------
> I use to paint cars and as late as 1995 Dupont
> Paint still used a red paint for a 1989 Chevrolet
> truck that contain lead!
Some manufacturers may still use some lead in auto paint. I don't know for sure, the technology on auto paint has changed so much in recent years, but the ban exempted auto, marine and tractor paints
You can still get red lead primer for marine uses. It costs about $100 a quart.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
rjmachon
()
Date: May 13, 2015 05:08PM
I think all auto paint is now water base PK. I have been out of the business for a while now.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
the_mogra
()
Date: May 18, 2015 02:50PM
some real estate agents will insist there could be (new) lead paint on chicago area houses as late as 1978, though I agree with the 1960 finale figure previously mentioned. from memory I never knew house paint with lead in it to be more expensive back then. but bring me back linseed oil vehicles and throw your PVA latex water-based nonsensical paint into the nearest gov't approved landfill
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
PKDickman
()
Date: May 18, 2015 05:54PM
the_mogra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> some real estate agents will insist there could be
> (new) lead paint on chicago area houses as late as
> 1978, though I agree with the 1960 finale figure
> previously mentioned. from memory I never knew
> house paint with lead in it to be more expensive
> back then. but bring me back linseed oil vehicles
> and throw your PVA latex water-based nonsensical
> paint into the nearest gov't approved landfill
Here's an ad from the 50's. Compare the prices of the Martin Senour "3000" (no lead) at $3.79 a gal with the Dutch Boy with pure white lead at $6.60, almost twice as much.
[url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/10/05/page/152/article/display-ad-148-no-title]Trib paint store ad[/url]
I agree with you on the rest though. If you're gonna paint anything out doors, it should have linseed oil in it. Otherwise, you might as well leave your ladder leaning against the house. You'll need it soon enough.
Same thing for outdoor varnish. Don't believe that bushwah about uv protected polyurethane. Pay the money for a good spar and you won't need your brush again for 7 or 8 years.
-------------------------------------------------------
> some real estate agents will insist there could be
> (new) lead paint on chicago area houses as late as
> 1978, though I agree with the 1960 finale figure
> previously mentioned. from memory I never knew
> house paint with lead in it to be more expensive
> back then. but bring me back linseed oil vehicles
> and throw your PVA latex water-based nonsensical
> paint into the nearest gov't approved landfill
Here's an ad from the 50's. Compare the prices of the Martin Senour "3000" (no lead) at $3.79 a gal with the Dutch Boy with pure white lead at $6.60, almost twice as much.
[url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/10/05/page/152/article/display-ad-148-no-title]Trib paint store ad[/url]
I agree with you on the rest though. If you're gonna paint anything out doors, it should have linseed oil in it. Otherwise, you might as well leave your ladder leaning against the house. You'll need it soon enough.
Same thing for outdoor varnish. Don't believe that bushwah about uv protected polyurethane. Pay the money for a good spar and you won't need your brush again for 7 or 8 years.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
nordsider
()
Date: May 18, 2015 06:38PM
Chicago Tribune
Lead paint poisons poor Chicago kids as city spends millions less on cleanup
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-lead-poisoning-chicago-met-20150501-story.html#page=1
Lead paint poisons poor Chicago kids as city spends millions less on cleanup
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-lead-poisoning-chicago-met-20150501-story.html#page=1
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
davey7
()
Date: May 18, 2015 07:56PM
Lead paint is still allowed for exterior uses under certain restricted circumstances, such as metal windows, iirc. Can't remember the actual verbage/wording of the statutes, but it's very rare nonetheless.
Re: Lead paint
Posted by:
rjmachon
()
Date: May 20, 2015 04:46PM
I wonder how much lead is in me after sanding cars for twenty years! GM was a lot of lacquer paint in the 70's. Fords and Dodges mostly enamel. I loved spraying lacquer paint but I hated the buffing though. Spraying Dupont Emron was the worst. Very durable but very dangerous to spray! Even back in the mid 1970's the cans of paint had huge warning labels on them in red letters. "[color=#FF0000]MUST USE AIR SUPPLIED RESPIRATOR USING THIS PRODUCT[/color]" I sprayed a few things with Emron but didn't care for it very much.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2015 04:52PM by rjmachon.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2015 04:52PM by rjmachon.
