Do I Still Have to Worry About Lead Paint on My Home Today?

Due to federal regulations, paint manufacturers no longer put lead into their paint materials. So the paint you get in the paint store, especially in California is very safe for the environment. California has very strict regulations for paints today! That is the good news for homeowners.

So the question I'll answer in this post is, "Should I be worried about lead paint on my home since paint does not have lead in it anymore?" If your home was built before 1978 then you still have to be concerned about existing lead paint. The government outlawed lead paint in the early 70s, but it still took awhile for it to go into affect. And it is possible that even during the 80s a few homes still were painted with lead paint. You can always order a lead test kit and check the areas of concern. This is something we can do for you to if you are located in San Diego.

Also, if you own an older home, be very careful when attempting to remove lead paint. It is extremely dangerous for pregnant women and young children. If you hire a painting company to do the removal, please don't assume the company has received lead safe removal training from the EPA. I would do your do diligence and check references too. It is not only dangerous but is against the law for a contractor who is not certified and trained to remove lead paint. It happens more than you think! You also might be liable if the EPA shows up at your home and the contractor is not removing and disposing of the old paint properly.

I'll close with this. If you have the right paint company removing lead paint before painting, you don't have anything to worry about. I just would not get too close to the actual removal process. Wait until the contractors say it is safe!

Many painters in San Diego do not like to work on older homes because of the regulations and the "pain" of following EPA standards. I will admit, it is not easy and some of the regulations seem a bit silly. Yet, Chism Brothers Painting is committed to doing things right. We have worked on most of the older homes throughout San Diego and have the experience and certification to safely work on older homes. So if you would like to discuss your next project with us sometime, we'd love to hear from you. Our estimates are always free!