Since it was commonly used, it has been discovered that lead can cause a variety of health risks. Lead is hazardous to health if it is inhaled when lead materials are burned, smelted, recycled, or stripped causing it to become airborne. Lead is also dangerous when ingested from lead-contaminated dust, water from lead pipes, or food from containers with lead traces. Lead is a cumulative toxicant that can affect the brain, liver, kidney, and bones. Lead is especially harmful to children who are still growing and developing as they absorb the lead more so than a fully-grown adult. Any level of lead in our body is considered unsafe but the fortunate thing is that lead poisoning is completely preventable.
LEAD ABATEMENT IN CALGARY: LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS
The easiest way to guess if you or your family is at risk to lead poisoning is to consider the age of your home. Older homes that were built prior to the discovery of the side effects of lead are likely to contain lead paint, lead coatings, and lead piping. Lead was used in materials due to its high density, low melting point, and ductility. Lead abatement professionals can perform several kinds of testing to see if your home is contaminated with lead and come up with a plan to remove the lead safely from your home. While there are home testing kits for lead, the accuracy of these tests is uncertain and they cannot provide the in-depth lead contaminant analysis that professional testing can offer.
Lead is a huge risk if found within your home and should be removed by a lead abatement specialist. The arduous task of lead abatement should never become a DIY project because:
- Removing lead safely requires high-quality equipment such as specialized respirators and vacuum filters, wet-sanders, and head-to-toe protective clothing.
- Disturbing materials with traces of lead improperly can release the toxin into the air making hazardous dust.
- All traces of lead chips, dust, or flakes are toxic until removed from your home and need to be contained to the work area.
The professionals at Sealtech Restorations are fully trained and experienced in all kinds of harmful substance removal including lead. Don’t risk the health and safety of your family. For lead abatement in your Calgary home, contact Sealtech Restorations today.
POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS OF LEAD POISONING
At first, it can be difficult to detect symptoms caused by lead poisoning because the signs and symptoms do not usually appear until the lead levels in the body have reached dangerous levels. Another equally troubling aspect of lead poisoning symptoms are the differences between children’s symptoms and adults’ symptoms. A few possible lead poisoning symptoms in children are:
- Developmental delay
- Irritability
- Hearing loss
- Seizures
- Learning difficulties
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- And more
A few possible symptoms of lead poisoning in adults are:
- High blood pressure
- Mood disorders
- Headaches
- Joint pain and muscle pain
- Abdominal pain
- And more
If you experience unexplained symptoms and live in an older home with the possible presence of lead poisoning, this may be the culprit of your symptoms. If you experience the above symptoms, it is best to seek medical attention and advice.