Asbestos Removal Oakland CA

Lead Removal - Residential Water Quality

As an Environmental Health Specialist, I get a number of questions from environmental professionals in Santa Clara CA and around the country who are curious about the best type of lead abatement for the house. This question is not unique to Santa Clara CA as most localities and the U.S. as a whole are concerned about lead exposure and removing or limiting exposure to it. For more visit here :Asbestos Removal Oakland CA

Lead is a toxic heavy metal that is associated with the formation of the brain and nervous system disorders and can also cause various other related ailments such as muscle aches, tiredness, and joint pains. Exposure to lead can also have serious, long-term negative effects on a child's development. Studies suggest that children in the highest lead exposure areas have low IQs and problems with attention spans.

In many areas, local governments have begun testing and inspecting homes for lead and remediating properties if necessary. Depending on the severity of lead problem, there are a number of different types of remediation options available to the homeowner.

One of the best things about lead abatement is that the home can be inspected on top of the regular annual inspection. This allows the home owner to inspect the building as soon as the construction is completed to ensure that there are no lead plumbing or wiring issues. The inspector will identify any plumbing or wiring problems and will give the home owner and contractor recommendations for follow up action.

The removal process can be carried out in various ways depending on the area and the structure of the home. Some of the more common methods include abatement using a conventional foam like water foam, placing drain and spigot gaskets in the home, and using a chemical like perfluroic acid or talc powder to remove lead from the pipe connections to the exterior of the home. The homeowner may choose to replace the lead and other materials with new materials or to completely remove the old pipes and fixtures and repair the surface to which they are attached.

Abatement from leaks or water can be done by spraying water or by using a gutter to catch any drips before they reach the ground. As much as possible, use a water source that flows at the same rate as the rest of the ground and does not "catch" any water that runs off the roof or siding.

Lead can also be removed from electrical circuits and fixtures such as circuit breakers by cutting them off. Make sure that you clean off the cut-off pieces with solvents first. Be sure to reapply this procedure on any newly installed fixtures that you might have in the future.

Lead can also be removed from appliances by either caulking the joints to make the water bead, or by adding sealants to the joints. Another option is to run the appliance from a "boil on water" device that is an inexpensive appliance. Water boils from the unit, cools the appliance, and boils back to water.

If the homeowner would like to replace or reinstall windows or doors, then it is important to have a licensed contractor conduct the lead removal. The safest bet is to use a "green" company which has been trained in all lead abatement techniques.

Any work being performed on the house should be reported to the public works department and the homeowner should be aware of any possible lead hazards. If the homeowners notices any damage or is concerned about lead in their drinking water, they should test it for it. The most effective way to test for lead is to purchase a kit that can be used at home.

Any home that has a lead service line should be tested for the level of lead in the water that goes into the faucet and shower area. A lead pipe is not the same as a solder joint as they are made of different materials. Lead pipes and solder joints can only have led in them through condensation, freezing or other conditions and not from the outside.

To test for lead in water, one can use a water test kit that has several test strips that come individually wrapped in water-soluble test tubes. When the water comes into the test strip, it reacts with the test strip giving a "lead" reading that indicates what the water in the home has. so if you see a reading of more than 5 ppm (parts per million), there is a high chance that lead is present in the water supply.