Putting your safety first - Resene

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Lead-based paint• The removal of lead-based paint can resultin harm to both the person doing the joband the people who live or work nearby.• Untreated lead poisoning can lead to braindamage or even death.Lead is a health hazard. Small chips of leadcontaining paint or lead-based paint dust cancreate health risks. It also can contaminate theenvironment.Home renovators often unknowingly create hazards.Fine lead-based paint particles deposited in soil orhousehold dust can become a constant risk to thehealth of young children, other household occupantsand pets.Lead enters the body as lead containing dust(produced by sanding or by disturbing flaking orchalking lead-based paint) or lead fumes (producedby heat and burning).The dangers of lead-basedpaintYou can get lead poisoning if you do not take carewhen you remove lead-based paint from the insideor outside of a building. Children, especially preschoolers,are particularly at risk from lead poisoningbecause they may swallow bits of paint that containlead or soil that has been contaminated. Childrenchewing on painted cots or toys are also at risk iflead-based paint has been used.Until 1965, many paints on the New Zealand markethad high lead levels. This was particularly true ofpre-1945 paints. Even if a building has been recentlypainted, it may have been painted with lead-basedpaints or have layers of old paint covered by modernpaint. Today only special purpose paints containlead and these are clearly labelled.During pregnancy lead may cross the placentalbarrier from the mother to the baby. Some evidencesuggests that elevated blood lead levels in themother might affect the development of the nervoussystem of the baby and might increase the risk ofa premature birth.It’s not possible to tell lead-based paints by theirappearance, but there is a simple test that candetect whether the paint is a health risk. If abuilding was built prior to 1970 it is best to presumethat it has been painted with lead-based paint.Contact your local Public Health Office if you areunsure.Health and safetyThe ‘Health and Safety in Employment Act’ requiresemployers to provide a safe working environmentfor employees. Employees and self-employed peopleare also required to protect themselves and othersfrom harm. This includes contractors.Lead poisoningEffects• Many adults and children with lead poisoningwill have either very vague or non-specificsymptoms, such as stomach pains, difficultysleeping, constipation and loss of appetite orno symptoms at all.• Children who may have no obvious symptomscan still suffer some brain damage over aperiod of time.8
• If your child has more severe symptoms, suchas weakness or difficulty walking, seek urgentmedical attention.• Untreated lead poisoning in both adults andchildren can be fatal.• Pets often show symptoms of lead poisoningbefore people. If your pet is unwell and a vetdiagnoses lead poisoning, you should see thatall members of your household are checkedby a doctor.What to doIf you think your child may have been exposed topaint dust, flakes of old paint, soil with paint dustin it, or may have chewed some old paint, youshould ask your doctor to check the child’s bloodlead level.Lead may not show up in blood tests if the test isconducted more than one week after exposure, inwhich case other testing, such as porphyrin analysis,should be undertaken.Safety points for removing lead-basedpaintWhatever method you use for removing lead-basedpaint, always take the following precautions:• Keep children and pets away from the workarea and make sure they don’t eat or playwith paint debris.• If you’re removing paint from the inside ofyour house, remove the curtains and furniturefrom the room and cover the carpets beforebeginning the job. After sanding, wet wipesurfaces to remove dust and then use acommercial vacuum cleaner fitted with asuitable dust filter.• If you’re removing the paint from the outsideof a building, make sure all windows anddoors are closed to prevent contaminationinside.• Collect all paint debris on a ground sheetlarge enough to contain all the debris. If you’reworking on a scaffold, tie a sheet underneathto catch falling paint. If you’re removing paintby waterblasting, try to collect all flakes ofpaint from the surrounding area.• Clean the area around the groundsheet witha vacuum cleaner to collect any other paintdebris. Dispose of the contents immediately.After sanding, wet wipe surfaces to removedust and then use a commercial vacuumcleaner fitted with a dust filter.• Do not burn paint debris or timber that iscoated with paint containing lead.• Wrap up all paint debris securely in heavydutyplastic bags.• Provide short-term secure storage for debris.• Contact the local Council before work begins.Paint wastes must be disposed of inaccordance with local Council requirements.Protecting yourself• Wash your face and hands carefully beforeeating food or smoking and change out ofcontaminated overalls (especially if drysanding) when not actually working. Washcontaminated clothes separately.• Wash your face and hands and change outof contaminated clothing before handlingchildren.• Wear a hat or cover your head (especiallywhen dry sanding) to prevent dustaccumulating in the hair.• The quality and efficiency of safetyequipment needed to make dry sandingof lead-based paints safe generally meansthat dry sanding is not possible, orrecommended for the DIY’er.9
Page 1 and 2: PuttingyoursafetyfirstUnderstanding
Page 3 and 4: Surface coatingsWhat are paints mad
Page 5 and 6: Organic solventsUnder the Health an
Page 7 and 8: InhalationTo help a victim of over-
Page 9: What if there is a fire?When paints
Page 13 and 14: Methods of removing paintMethodAbra
Page 15 and 16: 5. Lack of oxygen and confinedspace
Page 17 and 18: Protecting your eyesCauses of eye i
Page 19 and 20: Polyurethanes and lacquersPolyureth
Page 21 and 22: Personal hygieneThis is important i
Page 23 and 24: Donate:Donate to charityIf you just
Page 25 and 26: The Resene checklist - part twoBe P

Putting your safety first - Resene

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