Is Window Repair a Long-Term Lead Hazard Control Strategy?

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) proposes to assess whether,11 or more years after treatment, window replacement can be empirically shown to be a better lead hazard control option when compared to lower level treatments. The importance of a window replacement program is a frequent topic of discussion on the LeadNet listserv and at HUD lead hazard control grantee meetings. The HUD National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing (2001) demonstrated that windows have average paint lead loadings that are generally twice the levels of other components on either the interior or the exterior of the home. In homes constructed before 1940, 41% of window exteriors and 21% of window interiors had lead-based paint; both percentages are the highest or nearly equal to the highest of any components assessed. And geometric mean dust lead loadings on window sills and troughs are roughly 10 and 100 times higher than floor dust lead loadings. Taken together, these findings suggest that window treatments should be a high priority for controlling lead hazards.

However, an evaluation of some housing units in the HUD Lead Hazard Control Grant Program six years after treatment (the "Six-Year Study") found that while dwellings with intensive window treatments (full replacement, stripping, sash replacement, or jamb liners) have lower dust lead loadings on window sills and troughs than dwellings where windows were only painted/cleaned, they did not have lower dust lead loadings on floors. Because previous studies have found that floor dust lead loadings are also important in reducing blood lead levels, the results did not offer strong support for the value of intensive window treatments over paint stabilization.

A limitation of the Six-Year Study was that it was designed to look at window replacement together with other window treatments, so the independent effect of window replacement alone was not analyzed. Preliminary reanalysis of the data suggests that dwellings with window replacement tend to have lower floor dust lead levels. If this trend continues with time, the painted windows may deteriorate to the point that floor lead loadings will rise in these homes to be significantly higher than in dwellings where the windows were replaced. Such information could provide important guidance to HUD grantees on the relative long-term cost effectiveness of window replacement. Other studies have also examined the positive effects of window replacement on energy conservation, market value and climate change.

For more information, contact Jonathan Wilson at jwilson@nchh.org.

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