Lead-Safe Home Improvement

If your home was built before 1978 it may contain lead paint. Homes built before 1950 usually have the highest concentrations of lead paint. Repairing and remodeling painted surfaces in homes built before 1978, if done in an unsafe manner, can be hazardous to children. If lead dust is swallowed or breathed, it can cause lead poisoning.

If you are doing home renovations, you may be eligible to rent a HEPA vacuum from the City of Milwaukee Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program free of charge.  HEPA Vacuums are available to rent to all City of Milwaukee residents. Please bring a Photo ID with you to rent a HEPA Vacuum. The HEPA Vacuum should not be used for outdoor material (such as leaf debris) or on standing water.  Contact our customer service line (414) 286-2165 for an appointment to rent a HEPA vacuum. Instructions on the use of the HEPA vacuum can be found here (spanish).

Have the Right Stuff

The Home Health Divsion and our community partners distrbute Lead Safe Kits and Educational Materials to provides instructions for conducting immediate measures to mitigate the sources of lead dust in a residential home. 

Visit City Channel 25 on YouTube to watch “Keep it Lead-Safe” or links here for videos demonstrations on how to use your Healthy Homes Kit.

  • Safety glasses and work clothes, gloves, hat and shoes
  • Heavy plastic sheets (6 mil thick) and duct tape
  • One bucket to wash and one bucket to rinse
  • Soap and water
  • Spray bottle to mist work surfaces
  • Disposable rags or paper towels
  • Plastic trash bags (6 mil thick)
  • HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum or a vacuum with a HEPA filter
  • An appropriate respirator
  • Scraper, power planer with HEPA attachment, or wet sanding sponge  

Interior Home Repair / Remodeling

Before You Start

  • Seal off work area with sheets of plastic and tape.
  • Work in one room at a time. Keep all equipment in that room.
  • Keep children and pregnant women out of that room.
  • Remove as much furniture as you can from the room. Cover remaining furniture with plastic sheets securely taped in place.
  • Cover the floor of the work area with heavy plastic.
  • Cover heating vents with plastic sheets securely taped in place.

During

  • Mist surfaces before you scrape or sand.
  • Water helps keep lead dust from entering the air.
  • Do not sandblast or power wash. This makes clouds of lead dust and debris.
  • Attach a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum to power planers to trap dust. Ordinary shop vacuums do not filter lead dust.
  • Do not use open flames. Use heat guns to remove paint. Remember to use a respirator.
  • Do not use paint strippers containing methylene chloride.
  • Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the work area while working.
  • Avoid tracking dust throughout the house by using a dampened towel or carpet section as a wipe-off mat.
  • Clean work area as you go.

After

  • Remove plastic sheeting by rolling or folding inward.
  • Wrap construction debris with plastic and tape closed.
  • Place trash in heavy plastic bags and place in household garbage (if doing the work yourself).
  • Use a household or commercial vacuum with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter to clean up dust and debris. A HEPA vacuum can be borrowed from the Health Department.
  • Wash floors, walls and other surfaces with soap and water. Rinse thoroughly with clear, clean water.
  • Dispose of wash water in a toilet. Never pour wash water on soil or in kitchen or bathroom sink.
  • Never burn trash with lead in it.
  • Be careful not to track lead dust around your house.
  • Change work clothes and shoes at work site.
  • Wash work clothes separately from your family's laundry. Run an empty cycle right after this load is done to rinse remaining lead from washer.
  • Take a shower and wash your hair as soon as possible. Do not pick up small children before clothes are changed and shower is taken.

Exterior Home Repair / Remodeling

You will need to use the same tools and follow the same safe work methods as for interior home repair and remodeling.

  • Perform exterior work in a manner that will prevent leaded waste from coming into contact with the ground or entering the interior of the dwelling.
  • Keep all windows and doors of the dwelling closed while work is being done.
  • Attach 6 mil plastic to collect waste at the foundation and at the base of the structure being worked on. For 1-story buildings, extend plastic at least 6 feet out from walls. Add an additional 6 feet for each story of the structure. In all cases extend plastic adequately to contain all falling debris.
  • Carefully remove all plastic sheeting used to protect surfaces by rolling or folding them inward at the end of each workday.
  • Dispose of construction trash in 6 mil plastic bags and tape them shut. 

Additional Information on Lead-Safe Work Practices and Lead-Safe Housing

Additional information can be found:

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