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Archive for the ‘Lead Testing’ Category
Friday, November 26th, 2010
Last year, 12 million drinking glasses that were painted with pictures of characters from the movie Shrek were recalled because the paint contained cadmium. Cadmium is a metal used in paints that causes respiratory issues and is considered more toxic than lead.
A new study this month on behalf of the Associated Press has found that the tainted drinking glass issue could be much worse than previously thought and currently extends to a number of decorative glasses that are painted with popular movie and comic book characters like those from The Wizard of Oz as well as Superman. Testing found that the paint on a series of glasses that were made in China and purchased in the United States contained between 16% and 30% lead.
The “safe” limit for lead in children’s products is 0.03%, but the manufacturer said they were collectables for adults – not for drinking out of despite no warning on the glasses themselves.
Because the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission determines the glasses to be “children’s products”, further testing will be conducted. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has voluntarily recalled 22,000 glasses painted to look like their iconic glass bottles because of “low quality” and not safety concerns, but also mentioned that testing had found cadmium in the paint. While the painted part of the glasses is on the outside, touching the paint and then touching your eyes, mouth or nose can lead to the ingestion of the cadmium or lead. Also, washing the glasses in the dishwasher can result in the paint contaminating other dishes.
Because these heavy metals build up in the human body, repeated exposure can cause serious illness or death.
EnvironmentalServicesGroup.ca ~ Providing Lead Testing and Cadmium Testing Services in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Southwest and Central Ontario. Contact us today in Toronto at (416) 575-6111; Mississauga (905) 905-824-5733; Southwest Ontario (London, Sarnia, Windsor) (519) 434-0796; Barrie (705) 719-0746 or Toll Free 1-866-310-4219.
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Saturday, July 24th, 2010
It seems like everyone’s getting the urge to renovate these days. And why not? It’s a great way to get a change of scenery while adding value.
According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, interior and exterior paint jobs can be one of the best ways to renovate a home and are right up there with kitchen and bathroom overhauls when it comes to adding value. Under regular circumstances, you could expect to see up to 100% of a return on your initial painting investment when you sell your home.
Be aware of the presence of mold and lead
There are two things to be aware of when it comes to large paint jobs: mold and lead – especially in an older home, which may be the most in need of a renovation or update.
Mold When gearing up to paint a wall that has mold, you should know that painting over it may not be the best way to go. Likely, the mold will only grow back and the entire surface may need to be removed. Whether you should paint over mold also depends on whether or not the material being painted over has absorbed much of the mold.
Soft materials like carpet and ceiling tiles need to be replaced when they become infested, and drywall is a soft material too. Plaster is less soft and thus less of a haven for mold, but at the very least the affected surface of the wall will need to be sanded down before painting.
There are also mold-inhibiting paints available, but a full removal of the affected area is usually best in order to avoid having it come back later. If this is the case, a professional mold removal and inspection company can help determine your possible options.
Lead
Lead is a much trickier problem than mold when it comes to painting. If the house is more than 30 years old, it’s very likely that lead paint was used when the home was built. With lead, it is the actual sanding, rubbing and otherwise disturbing of the paint that creates lead dust, which is later inhaled and can settle in soft materials like upholstered furniture or clothing.
Lead paint can sometimes be coated fully with new paint, so that it is fully encapsulated and poses less of a risk. However, if the lead paint is peeling or chipping, or if the paint job will require sanding or any other disturbing of the wall, there are other special precautions that need to be taken. This can include using HEPA filters to catch airborne particles, wearing proper safety equipment as well as clearing all of the furniture out of the room.
Most homeowners don’t realize how important it is to clean the walls before painting for the best results. Dust, grease and other grime can settle on walls quite easily depending on where they are in the home, but this cleaning process can also disturb the lead paint. At this point, a professional should be called in, to first check for the presence of lead as well as help the homeowner determine their options.
Lead Testing Toronto, Acton, Ajax, Barrie, Brampton, Brantford, Cambridge, Etobicoke, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Kitchener, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, North York, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Peel Region, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Waterloo, Whitby, York Region Ontario.
Tags: Lead Testing Toronto Ontario
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Friday, June 18th, 2010
It wasn’t lead, but the toxic heavy metal cadmium that sparked a giant recall of children’s toys at the beginning of June.
McDonald’s restaurants in both Canada and the United States voluntarily recalled the glasses that were part of a Shrek movie promotional campaign due to higher than acceptable amounts of cadmium in the paint adorning the glasses.
The glasses were collectibles and belonged to a set of four, prompting families with little ones to snap up as many as they could. Like lead, cadmium is particularly dangerous when it comes to children because it can affect brain, bone and kidney development as well as lead to an increase in the development of learning disabilities.
Cadmium is often used as a pigment in red or yellow paint, which is exactly the case with the McDonald’s glasses. If a child touches the paint and then puts their fingers in their mouths or puts their mouths on the painted area of the glasses, they can ingest unsafe amounts of cadmium. Cadmium is also a known carcinogen, and has already also been found in dangerous levels in children’s jewelry this year. The jewelry was made in China, but the recalled glasses were made in the United States, and testing by the Consumer Product Safety Commission revealed that cadmium was easily transferred onto hands just by touching the glasses. Surprisingly, an anonymous tip led to the testing, suggesting someone knew the glasses were made with cadmium paint.
Lead and Cadmium Testing in Toronto, Acton, Ajax, Barrie, Brampton, Brantford, Cambridge, Etobicoke, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Kitchener, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, North York, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Peel Region, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Waterloo, Whitby, York Region Ontario.
Tags: Lead and Cadmium Testing Toronto
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Friday, May 21st, 2010
When your mother warned you not to use hot water for making baby formula, she wasn’t just relaying an old wives’ tale. Despite the fact that hot water boils much faster than cold, running hot water through your pipes can leach impurities and dirt into the water, which is then consumed. Among these impurities is lead. Many people think these fears are outdated, because lead pipes aren’t installed in new buildings.
However, lead pipes are still present in older buildings and until the mid-1980s, non-lead piping was still soldered with lead.
The City of Toronto is in the midst of a massive multi-million dollar lead pipe abatement project that has partially replaced a lot of the city’s lead pipes – but only on city property. Homeowners are still responsible for having their own homes inspected for lead.
However, this project might be making the problem much worse, as recent research out of Virginia Tech University proves that only partially removing lead pipes – and replacing some of them with copper – can increase the concentration of lead in the water. This is because where the two materials meet, lead is more likely to flake off or corrode in greater amounts. Toronto’s project is now halted while they investigate the research. Similar lead pipe abatement projects in the United States have also been at a standstill since the research was reported in March of this year. Homeowners who have only partially replaced their lead piping may also be facing the same consequences.
One can easily avoid running hot tap water into a pot to make dinner. But when one considers showering, hand washing and other activities that require hot water, it’s easy to see how lead can be absorbed into the body. Children are at a higher risk because of their tendency to put their hands in their mouths and because of the effects lead has on their developing brains.
This is why having your home’s water and paint tested for lead is doubly important – to ensure that your home is either lead-free or that the lead is adequately contained. Whether it is lead piping or lead paint, both were once extremely common in Ontario homes and as evidenced by the research, even the partial abatement of lead can be an incorrect and dangerous solution. A professional lead inspection can help you determine what steps can be taken to better protect yourself and your family.
Lead Testing in Toronto, Acton, Ajax, Barrie, Brampton, Brantford, Cambridge, Etobicoke, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Kitchener, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, North York, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Peel Region, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Waterloo, Whitby, York Region Ontario.
Tags: Lead Testing Toronto
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