Two Health-Related Issues of Older Homes: Lead-based Paint and Asbestos
By Bill Primavera
The Home Guru
As Published in The Examiner, The Putnam Examiner and The Yorktown Examiner
There are many older homes in Westchester and Putnam that contain two products banned from use in housing in the later 1970s: lead-based paint and most forms of asbestos. Do we expose ourselves to unhealthy consequences if we purchase a home with these materials in it? Probably not, but we are told by federal government requirement that lead-based paint can be dangerous, especially to children, and certain kinds of asbestos, specifically the loose or “friable” kind, can cause several diseases if inhaled, although it can take decades for a problem to develop.
However, if homeowners are aware that these materials have been used in their homes, there should be no risk so long as the materials are addressed properly, whether they remain or are removed. When I bought my first historic home, I was advised that it’s better to “add on,” rather than “take out,” meaning that, in most cases, it’s best to leave these materials undisturbed.
A case in point: the builders of the World Trade Center, anticipating a ban on the use of asbestos materials, stopped using the product as a fire retardant on the steel beams when it got to the 40th floor of Tower One. In those 40 floors, approximately 5,000 tons of asbestos material had been used. Today, engineers agree that, had asbestos continued to be used throughout the construction of both Towers, it may have lengthened the time that 9/11 workers and emergency responders had to get out of the buildings before they collapsed. When the Towers were in use, no one suffered any ill effects from asbestos because it was contained behind office walls, ceilings and floors. But, it became very much an issue with the clean-up in that the material became airborne with the mounds of dust that collected in the Towers’ destruction.
If a homeowner chooses to issue a full property condition disclosure, which is an option but not a requirement (if not issued, the buyer is credited $500 at the closing transaction), the buyer may be aware of the use of asbestos in a home, but there are no laws banning it from already-existing properties. However, its abatement is carefully regulated by state codes. At the time of an engineering study, the inspector will tell the buyer if asbestos is found in the home, and sometimes it becomes a negotiating point with the seller.
When I bought my home 37 years ago, I knew that there was asbestos surrounding the steam pipes and the boiler in the basement but, having bought the house without an engineering inspection (can you imagine my naivete at the time?) and because it was before asbestos was banned in most housing materials, I didn’t pay any attention to it. I fell in love with my house and probably would have bought it if it had a running stream in the basement. Years later, when I replaced my boiler, I had all the asbestos removed by a certified abatement company. While owners are permitted in most states to remove a certain amount of asbestos on their own, there are guidelines about its disposal and, for larger jobs, the use of an asbestos abatement firm is required.
My house also had cement-asbestos shingles on the outside. It was the first kind of siding used in the 1940s and 1950s to eliminate further house painting (if you wanted to have a white house) and it was used also for its insulating and fire-retardant qualities. My shingles are in very good shape, and I am assured by research that their use poses no danger in that the asbestos content is sealed and intact. Asbestos is only a hazard when small particles become airborne and are inhaled and deposited within the lungs. For this reason, it is recommended that they not be disturbed, but that other siding, such as vinyl or the new cement and wood fiber clapboard or shingles be applied on top of them, separated by polystyrene-foam insulation panels.
The “do not disturb” principle also applies to lead-based paint. A lead disclosure form must be signed by the seller indicating whether he or she knows or doesn’t know whether lead-based paint may have been used in the house if it was built prior to 1978, when the federal government prohibited its manufacture. The buyer is also notified by disclosure from the real estate agency that lead-based paint might be in a home built prior to 1978. But most homebuyers who acquire older homes don’t worry about lead too much.
While true that peeling, chipping, chalking or crackling lead-based paint can be a hazard and needs attention, it is usually covered by subsequent layers of paint without lead that would seal off the original layers. There can be a hazardous threat, however, when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded or heated. This can create lead dust that can get on surfaces and objects that people, especially children, touch. Even when the dust settles, it can re-enter the air flow when people vacuum, sweep or walk through it. So, unless there will be major construction done, it should be left alone. If it must be removed, leave it to the abatement experts.
To put the lead-based paint and asbestos issues into perspective, consider the fact that of the 4,840 single family homes currently on the market in Westchester and Putnam Counties, only 1,580 were built after 1978 and 3,260 were built before that year. Just as a matter of practicality and sheer numbers, it would seem more feasible to let sleeping dogs lie by making sure that these materials have been safely sealed.
Bill Primavera is a Westchester, NY-based realtor ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and marketing practitioner ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) who can be reached for questions or comment directly at 914-522-2076.
To read more in The Examiner, go to: www.TheExaminerNews.com