LEAD-FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How are people exposed to lead?
What are the health risks of lead?
What is the Army Lead Hazard Management Program?
How are Army families educated about lead?
What sort of training is required for managing lead?
How does the installation identify lead?
How does the installation control lead?
How do medical surveillance and follow-up work?
What regulations and guidance does the Army follow?
Where can I get more information?
What additional guidance is available for...:
Lead is a naturally-occurring metal. It has been known since ancient times, and has been valued for its own properties and the properties it gives other materials. It has been used in paints, ceramic glazes, inks, and many other products. It was used in premium house paints until 1978.
Recent changes in the law have reduced or eliminated the use of lead in gasoline, paint, and other products. Army housing units built after 1978 are very unlikely to contain lead-based paint. Because of its past use, lead is still present in many of our older buildings and throughout the environment.
However, the age of a building doesn't tell us how much lead it contains. Many older buildings never contained lead-based paint, and lead-based paint can't be identified by its appearance alone.
How are people exposed to lead?
We all have a small amount of lead in our bodies because it has been spread throughout our environment. The average level of lead in the human body has not been found to be harmful.
People who work at firing ranges, building demolition sites, and battery repair shops are routinely exposed to lead. Workers in civilian industries such as battery manufacturing and scrap metal recovery are also exposed to lead. Lead exposures are possible from crafts and hobbies such as stained glass, or casting fishing sinkers or ammunition. Using proper protective measures ensures that the risk to workers is minimal, and that they won't take lead home on their clothes.
Other people may live or work in older buildings that contain lead-based paint. Adults are rarely exposed to significant amounts of lead in these buildings. As long as proper care is taken, small children aren't significantly exposed, either.
Lead can get into food or drinks that are cooked or stored in imported ceramic utensils, and some folk medicines are very high in lead. Older painted furniture, toys, or miniblinds can also contain lead.
What are the health risks of lead?
Children from before birth to the age of six are especially sensitive to lead because their brains and nervous systems are growing rapidly. At "elevated blood lead levels", which are levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood (written as "mg/dl"), lead can start to have an effect on small children. If not detected early, these levels of lead can reduce IQ and cause learning and behavioral problems. This has been seen in studies of large groups of children, but doesn't mean that every child will have a problem.
Adults and older children are much less sensitive to lead, and much less likely to swallow it accidentally. Mothers do have to be careful about exposing themselves to lead because it can be passed on to the unborn or nursing child.
People with high levels of lead in their bodies can have symptoms such as colic, nausea, headaches, irritability, loss of concentration, and constipation. Over time, these high levels can cause nerve disorders, fertility and pregnancy problems, and kidney damage.
Lead-based paint that is in good condition is not a hazard. Most children will never have elevated blood lead levels, even without special precautions. We know this because so many children have grown up safely in older housing.
Far fewer than 1% of Army children have even slightly elevated blood lead levels, and many installations have none. By comparison, the rate among American children in general is over 4%, and up to 13% in some communities. Army children are safer because Army housing and other facilities are well-maintained and kept clean. The Army's goal is to prevent elevated blood lead levels in any Army children.
The Army has an effective Lead Hazard Management Program to keep the risk to Army families as low as possible. Finally, families can help reduce the risk to children by taking a few simple steps.
What is the Army Lead Hazard Management Program?
The Army is committed to providing healthy living and working conditions for its families. The Army Lead Hazard Management Program meets this commitment by effectively managing and eliminating lead and its sources.
Each installation appoints a program coordinator and a management team that includes representatives from many different installation offices. This team develops and runs the installation lead hazard management program. Here are some of the key activities in each installation program:
How are Army families educated about lead?
When families are assigned to Army housing, the installation tells them what it has learned about lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in their quarters. The installation also tells them about any repair or renovation work that will disturb lead-based paint in their quarters. Occupants receive the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home" to help them learn more about lead in general, plus additional information through public awareness and worker education programs. This pamphlet is part of your installation's educational program.
What sort of training is required for managing lead?
The Army makes sure that people who evaluate or abate lead do their work effectively and safely. Federal and state regulations require specialized training and certification for the following jobs:
Installation team members who supervise or oversee contracts to do this work can also benefit from training in their areas of responsibility. Installations can give an 8-hour course developed by EPA to their own maintenance and custodial workers. The U. S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) offers an interactive policy workshop that helps installation teams understand and apply Army policy and guidance.
How does the installation identify lead?
The installation gathers information, identifies facilities that need to be checked, and plans lead surveys. During the surveys, trained risk assessors select a sample of housing units to represent all units on the installation. They inspect these units and other child-occupied facilities such as day cares, and collect samples of dust, soil, and deteriorated paint. Lead-based paint inspections are also done whenever they are required by regulations. As a safety precaution, paint in older buildings is presumed to be lead-based paint until proven otherwise.
The risk assessors and inspectors then evaluate the results and make recommendations to the installation lead team on how to manage lead and lead-based paint.
How does the installation control lead?
The installation team uses the information from lead surveys to plan effective ways to control lead. Lead-based paint is removed during projects such as whole-house renovations, or when lead cannot be controlled by other methods. New paint that contains lead is not used. Installations maintain, repair and protect lead-based paint surfaces until they can be removed, checking them regularly to make sure they remain intact. Much of this work is accomplished simply by keeping buildings in good shape.
Whenever workers disturb paint that contains lead, they use special equipment and work methods to protect building occupants. They clean up carefully when they are done, and a trained inspector collects dust samples to make sure the space is safe for occupants to return.
How do medical surveillance and follow-up work?
Each clinic has a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program to ensure that children with elevated blood lead levels are identified and treated. All children are tested during their one-year well-baby visits, unless the risk is already known to be very low. During routine visits up to the age of six, doctors and community health nurses check for risk factors, and test children if there appears to be a risk.
Clinics provide medical surveillance to personnel who are exposed to lead, including blood testing, in accordance with regulations. Preventive medicine offices help ensure that proper protective measures are provided and used at work.
If a child is found to have an elevated blood lead level. clinics follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The response ranges from more frequent monitoring at lower elevated blood lead levels through investigation and medical treatments at higher levels.
What regulations and guidance does the Army follow?
The Army complies with regulations and guidance from:
The Army Lead Hazard Management Program is specified in the following Army Regulations and memorandum:
Installation teams use the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Center for Public Works Technical Bulletin (PWTB) 420-70-2, Installation Lead Hazard Management for program guidance. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Guide Specifications (CEGS) are used to ensure successful lead control projects.
Anyone performing lead-based paint activities after 1-Mar-00 must be certified by either an EPA or a state program, whichever is applicable. This includes certification for performing risk assessments, paint inspections, and abatement activities. It does not apply to O&M activities such as interim controls or maintenance and repair where disturbance of lead is incidental to work and not the reason for it. We recommend that any workers that perform O&M activities be trained, but not necessarily certified, unless they will also be reasonably expected to also perform abatement work or if they might require OSHA controls in the course of larger scale O&M work. If Fort Lewis comes under a state program, then you may also have to consider licensing.
Where can I get more information?
The EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home" answers many questions about lead. It is available from your Installation Housing Office. For information about your installation's Lead Hazard Management Program, please contact your Installation Lead Coordinator. For additional information, please contact the AEC hot line at 1-800-USA-3845.
...finding and selecting consultants and laboratories?
...planning and performing lead hazard control work?
...selecting lead hazard control products?
...disposing of lead-contaminated wastes?
...safely preparing operations and maintenance work?
...dealing with lead during the disposal of Army Real Property?
...developing and implementing a lead hazard control program?