Home hazards don’t have to interfere with your family’s health and safety.
Asbestos and lead: those two words strike fear in the hearts of many prospective home buyers. So are the warnings all they’re cracked up to be? Certainly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should shy away from buying an older house.
Both asbestos and lead can cause health problems. Some of the effects are serious or even grave. But both substances require specific conditions before they pose a threat. If that wasn’t the case, the market for older homes would be practically nonexistent.
Before you run away from a magnificent Victorian or sturdy Craftsman-era home, consider these facts about two of the most common hazards found in older construction.
What’s the Big Deal About Asbestos?
Six naturally-occurring minerals make up the substance that we know as asbestos.
- Chrysotile
- Crocidolite
- Amosite
- Anthophyllite
- Tremolite
- Actinolite
The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance says chrysotile and amosite asbestos types are the most common.
Asbestos was used in many different home building applications before it was partly banned in the late 1980s. It’s still used in some industrial applications as well as certain roofing materials.
This material was terrific in some applications. It made cement materials significant lightweight strength. It was a superior insulator, and it was also fire resistant.
Where Can Asbestos be Found?
If undisturbed, asbestos poses no threat to humans or animals. But when it’s broken, the mineral fibers become friable.
Tiny, needle-like particles break away from the folic asbestos and fill the air, where people can breathe them in. If particles lodge in the lungs, they can cause a cancer known as mesothelioma.
Asbestos might be found in several older versions of household materials.
- Ceiling tiles
- Plaster walls
- Floor tiles
- Floor tile adhesive (known as “cutback” adhesive)
- Insulation
- Fireplaces
- Around pipes (especially boilers)
In most cases, asbestos can safely be sealed or covered and pose little or no threat at all. Covering it with primer and paint, drywall, carpeting, sheet vinyl or wood flooring is generally considered safe.
Anywhere there’s paint, there might be lead.
What’s the Big Deal About Lead?
If the home you’re buying was built before 1980, there’s a good chance it has lead paint somewhere on the inside or outside. It was banned as a paint additive in the late 1970s, but there’s a chance of leftover paint used for a short time longer.
Lead helped paint dry faster with more predictable and attractive results. It improved durability, and resisted moisture infiltration.
Lead can be found in exterior siding and trim paint, interior walls and trim, doors, floors, ceilings and staircases. Some older furniture might also have lead-based paint. Any surface that was painted before 1980 might have lead.
When is Lead a Threat?
Danny Lipford of Today’s Homeowner says 24 percent of homes built before 1978, 69 percent of homes built before 1940 and 87 percent of homes built before 1940 have lead paint somewhere. But if it’s intact and has a fresh coat of paint on top, it should be safe.
Like asbestos, older lead-based paint becomes problematic when it’s disturbed. Sanding, for example, releases lead particles along with the paint dust, where it can be inhaled. If paint is chipped, it can also release lead.
According to Mayo Clinic, lead poisoning symptoms in children include:
- Learning problems
- Loss of appetite / weight loss
- Hearing loss
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Pica (unusual appetite for non-food items, such as paint chips)
- Irritability
- Fatigue
And in adults, symptoms include:
- High blood pressure
- Behavioral / mood disorders
- Headaches
- Joint and muscle pain
- Reproductive problems
Lead might also be found in the home’s water supply lines, but that’s not as common as it once was.
Disturbing asbestos or lead makes the material a hazard. So if you tear out floor or ceiling tiles and sand off paint, you’ll put yourself at a greater risk than you would by leaving it alone.
Many people buy and live in homes with asbestos and lead without suffering ill effects. But if you prefer to remove all traces, be aware that it’s not a job for an amateur. A professional abatement team is the safest way to go.
If you’re looking for a great home inspector who can spot defects in the home you’ve fallen in love with, Hire an Inspector is here to help. We’ll connect you with a great local home inspector who knows the ins and outs of home health hazards.