Cleaning Lead Dust: How Much Cleaning is Enough?

Did you know? Lead is the #1 environmental health problem for children.

Cleaning at the conclusion of any lead hazard control project is essential because remaining lead debris and lead contaminated dust should be removed from the dwelling prior to re-occupancy. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Guidelines For The Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing recommend that walls, ceilings, floors and other horizontal surfaces be cleaned using a three step process at the conclusion of all lead hazard control interventions. Two studies, undertaken in cooperation with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, examine HUD's cleaning recommendations.

The Two Pass – Three Pass Study

Goals: The goal of the Two Pass-Three Pass study was to evaluate and compare two procedures to clean lead dust and debris after lead hazard control activities in housing with lead-based paint hazards.

Description: Current federal guidelines strongly recommend that all walls, ceilings, floors and other horizontal surfaces be cleaned using a three step process - an initial HEPA vacuum (a vacuum designed to pick up and capture very small particles), wet wash with a lead cleaner, and a final HEPA vacuum. This study evaluated the effectiveness of this procedure and compared it to a two step cleaning procedure that omits the final HEPA vacuum.

Results and Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrate that dust lead levels following both the three step and two step cleaning procedures can achieve 1995 Federal guidance dust clearance levels and substantially lower levels. The study was published in the May 1999 issue of The Journal of Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.

Goals: The goal was to examine whether it is necessary to clean walls and ceilings after lead hazard control (LHC) interventions by comparing dust lead loadings measured on these surfaces before an LHC intervention to dust lead loadings after the intervention.

Description: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines on lead hazard control instruct contractors to clean floors, windows, walls, ceilings, and other horizontal surfaces to remove lead-contaminated dust and debris after lead interventions are conducted. This dust removal activity adds costs to each project. The need to clean floors and windows is well documented in the HUD guidelines. However, there is substantially less documentation to support the recommendation to clean walls and ceilings. Twenty-two dwelling units undergoing substantial LHC measures consistent with the HUD guidelines were enrolled in the study.

Results: There was a significant increase in dust lead loading on walls and ceilings between the pre- and post-intervention. The change in wall dust lead loading was substantial and created potentially harmful lead exposures. Although statistically significant, the change in ceiling dust lead loading was minimal and the post-intervention dust lead loadings were far below the existing federal floor dust lead clearance standard.

Conclusion: These results strongly support the recommendations in the HUD guidelines to clean walls after LHC interventions and do not provide sufficient justification to alter the current recommendation to clean ceilings after lead work.

For more information contact Sherry Dixon at 443.539.4156 or SDixon@centerforhealthyhousing.org.

Publications:
Environ Health Perspect 108:453-456 (2000). [Online 30 March 2000]

Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 108, Number 5, May 2000
[Citation in PubMed ] [ Related Articles ]

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