Lead Hazards in Homes & Buildings Found Hidden in Plain Sight

PUERTO RICO, Puerto Rico - Dec. 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report about two Afghan children living in the United States that were found to have exceptionally high levels of lead in their blood.  The children’s parents had used a traditional black makeup known as kajal that some parents from Pakistan and Afghanistan apply around their children’s eyes.

Several months ago, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of hundreds of youth beds that were sold nationwide at furniture and retail stores.  According to the CPSC release, the surface paint on the pink-colored youth beds contains levels of lead that exceeded the limits allowed by law.

These are just a few examples of how children and adults can be unexpectedly exposed to lead in their homes.  According to the CDC, there are approximately 4 million households that have children in them that are being exposed to lead.

“Toys, makeup and other items found in homes sometimes contain dangerous levels of lead.  Across the Caribbean, it is quite common to find lead in ceramic wall and floor tiles,” reports Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental.  “One of the most common ways that people are exposed to lead indoors is through old lead-based paint (LBP) on walls and ceilings that has degraded over time.  In Puerto Rico, regulations require that all buildings that are going to be demolished or renovated need to be inspected for LBP.  Local regulations enforced by the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board also demand that all materials with lead be managed as a special waste.”

For those facing lead concerns, the experts at Zimmetry offer testing and consulting services to ensure building occupants are not being exposed to this potentially harmful heavy metal and to make sure that all local environmental regulations are being followed.  In addition to handling lead cases, Zimmetry has professionals ready to respond to sick building, environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, Phase IESAs and general environmental consulting issues at a moment’s notice.

To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their indoor air quality, environmental and compliance consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com.

About Zimmetry Environmental

Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase IESAs and general environmental consulting services.