Lead paint in homes is a historically striking issue which can leave homeowners fearful and unsure. Even today, many homeowners are still at risk of lead poisoning.
Prior to its official national ban for in home use in 1978, lead paint was sometimes used by home builders in the early 20th century. Due to its overproduction, the paint was cheaper and mostly-indistinguishable from the newer regulation paint.
before - lead paint
For homes built before the 2000’s, there could be lead paint in the home, depending on how early it was built, as older homes are more likely to have a potential lead hazard.
Tyler Swartzmiller, the principal designer and founder of Haus Studio, has more than 20 years of experience in the construction and design field, including experience with older homes.
“Lead paint has been around for a very long time,” Swartzmiller says. “Any house built after the ‘40s, you’re likely not going to have lead paint. But as you start to get to these older areas, like some of the original New Albany homes and farmhouses, you do have to be suspicious since they really could have the paint.”
This is not to say homes built later on are totally risk-free. Houses built after that 1940s threshold could still be at risk for lead, too.
“The difference is that the ‘40s is when they stopped producing a lot of the lead paint, but there was still so much leftover paint,” Swartzmiller says. “So they quit putting lead in the new paint, but there was still that paint around. It’s shocking how long paint’s shelf life is.”
How does this effect New Albany if the median home build year in New Albany is 2004? There are more homes that fall under that demographic than some may realize.
Although roughly 66 percent of the homes were built after 2000, almost 11 percent of New Albany homes were built before the lead paint ban in 1978. This includes a recent New Albany project done by Haus Studio.
after lead paint
The remodel was done on a schoolhouse that was originally built in the 1790s and had been renovated over the years. The current homeowners have two young children.
Considering the home’s long history, Swartzmiller wanted to check for lead paint. After testing, they found lead paint on some trim, and had it immediately abated. The wood was still good to use after completely removing the lead paint, and the original renovation project resumed.
The health risks of lead paint are serious, especially for children in the home.
“Lead-based paint has a sweet taste, and so children often put pieces in their mouth, or will chew or bite on windowsills. Or, if they’re outside playing, they can ingest it through the dust or dirt,” says Brittany White, development program manager with the City of Columbus’ Lead Safe Program. “Being poisoned with lead can cause social, emotional delays and behavioral problems, speech and development delays, among other educational delays.”
With the multitude of health effects, Swartzmiller encourages homeowners and buyers to keep an eye out for this dangerous paint.
“Lead paint looks a lot like other paint, but what I always look for is layers of paint. A lot of times, lead paint is in older houses where you can see layers of paint caked on, caked on, and caked on,” Swartzmiller says. “I’m not saying it’s for sure going to be lead paint, but if you have 10 layers of paint or the house has been painted a lot, that’s when I would have it checked.”
If you find that you have lead paint in your home, or think there is a strong possibility you do, there are resources in place such as the Lead Safe Columbus program.
“Homeowners can fill out an application, and we’ll screen the applicants for the program pre-qualifiers,” White says. “If the homeowners meet our requirements, we will continue with a process of lead screenings and assessments, and we will eventually start reconstruction.”
Learn more about the Lead Safe Columbus program at www.columbus.gov.
New Albany Home Data
Total properties: 3,502
Homes built before ‘40s: 135
Homes built 1940-78: 236
Homes built 1978-2000: 827
Homes built after 2000: 2,304
Information adapted from real estate marketplace Point2Homes.
Ria Akhilesh is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
