Introduction

Lead-based paint, a toxic material, was widely used in North America on both the exteriors and interiors of buildings until well into the second half of the twentieth century. If a "historic" place is broadly defined in terms of time as having attained an age of fifty years, this means that almost every historic house contains some lead-based paint. In its deteriorated form, it produces paint chips and lead-laden dust particles that are a known health hazard to both children and adults.

Residential housing is shown prior to rehabilitation and lead abatement. Photo: NPS files.

The premise of this Preservation Brief is that historic housing can be made lead-safe for children without removing significant decorative features and finishes, or architectural trimwork that may contribute to the building's historic character. Historic housing--encompassing private dwellings and all types of rental units--is necessarily the focus of this Brief because federal and state laws primarily address the hazards of lead and lead-based paint in housing and day-care centers to protect the health of children under six years of age. Rarely are there mandated requirements for the removal of lead-based paint from non-residential buildings.

Ideally, most owners and managers should understand the health hazards created by lead-based paint and voluntarily control these hazards to protect young children. A stricter approach has been taken by some state and federal funding programs which have compliance requirements for identifying the problem, notifying tenants, and, in some cases, remedying lead hazards in housing (see Lead-based Paint Legislation). With new rules being written, and new products and approaches being developed, it is often difficult to find systematic and balanced methodologies for dealing with lead-based paint in historic properties.

This Preservation Brief is intended to serve as an introduction to the complex issue of historic lead-based paint and its management. It explains how to plan and implement lead-hazard control measures to strike a balance between preserving a historic building's significant materials and features and protecting human health and safety, as well as the environment. It is not meant to be a "how-to guide" for undertaking the work. Such a short-cut approach could easily result in creating a greater health risk, if proper precautions were not taken. Home renovators and construction workers should be aware that serious health problems can be caused by coming into contact with lead. For this reason, there are also laws to protect workers on the job site (see Worker Safety). Controlling the amount of waste containing lead-based paint residue will also reduce the impact on the environment. All of these considerations must be weighed against the goal of providing housing that is safe for children.