Lead Consulting

There are many places that lead can be found. In housing built before 1978, lead can be present in the paints and varnishes used in your home. Other examples where lead can be found are in crystal glassware or ceramic tile, and lead has even been found in 'unlikely' items such as some brands of mini-blinds. Lead can also show up in your drinking water due to the use of lead solder in the plumbing or even lead pipes. Homes next to some industries can have a dust buildup that contains lead, and the workers there can unknowingly bring the lead into their homes. Others in the building trades, working around demolition, will often bring lead dust home on their clothes and contaminate their own homes.  Indeed, there are so many ways that lead can get into your home.

Lead is a toxic substance! It has been estimated that lead is present in 64 million homes in the United States . While its properties of flexibility and corrosion resistance seemed ideal for protecting surfaces, we have since found out that the benefits are significantly outweighed by the hazard. Most at risk are young children and pregnant women-due to the developing fetus. It is at these times that the developing child is most susceptible to lead poisoning. A child's body needs iron for growth. Lead mimicking this essential body-building mineral can be absorbed in large amounts instead. This creates a horrible set of conditions because the smaller the child, the worse the effects that smaller amounts of lead will have in their body. The chronic aspects of this disease create neurological problems, learning disabilities, kidney problems, reproductive problems and hearing problems to name a few, but these are not the only problems. No, occasionally acute cases of this disease (Encephalopathy) appear, and, if not diagnosed quickly, death can occur. It has been estimated that between one and four million children in the U.S. have unhealthy amounts of lead in their bodies-blood that exceeds the lead exposure limits set by the CDC (Center for Disease Control). For more information on how to protect children from lead poisoning, please go to www.epa.gov/lead and remember, you can call Nelson First.

For individuals considering renovations, remodeling, or additions, it is important to know if your project will be creating a worse hazard for you and your family. As the saying goes, "An ounce of preventions is worth a pound of cure," and there are safe ways to address all lead hazards if you know of them. For which another old saying "The enemy you don't know is more dangerous than the one you do," is quite fitting.

At Nelson First Consulting LLC, the best equipment possible is used to make sure that any lead present is not a hazard in your home. That's why we have purchased the Niton Corporation's newest, most advanced analyzer, the XLp 303 A, X-Ray Florescence Full Spectrum Analyzer, the industry's fastest and most accurate. Using this analyzer and having had experience with all sizes of homes and apartment complexes, Nelson First Consulting LLC is qualified and confident that we can perform any job you may have. There are four types of inspections to be considered when working with lead hazards: Full Risk Assessments, Lead Investigations, EBL Investigations, and Lead Hazard Screens.