Reducing Exposure To Lead

Facilities Check List
Practical, step-by-step guides for the busy FM
September 1999

Reducing Exposure To Lead

Exposure to lead has long been recognized as a source of serious health problems. Unfortunately, for many years lead was also a widely used building material—particularly in plumbing and paint—though its use has been sharply curtailed in recent decades.

Whether they are old or new, all buildings have some potential for exposure to lead, but occupants of older facilities are often at increased risk. The following checklist summarizes ways in which facility managers can reduce occupants’ exposure to lead.

• Inspect for lead-based paint and identify lead sources in the building and mechanical systems.

• Keep the building clean, because ordinary dust and dirt may contain lead. Use phosphate detergent, wet cleaning methods, and HEPA-filtered vacuums when dealing with lead-contaminated dust.

• Maintain lead-based paint in good, intact condition.

• Test the building’s water and check the plumbing system for lead.

• Reduce lead in drinking water, following six steps recommended by the EPA:
1. Flush the tap until the water becomes noticeably colder
2. Do not cook with or drink water from the tap
3. Remove loose lead solder and debris by removing strainers and flow restrictors and flushing the tap
4. Check piping, soldered joints, and fixtures for lead. Remove and replace, if necessary
5. Find out about the building’s service line by checking with the water supply authority, plumbing contractor, or local authorities
6. Have an electrician check the wiring for grounding connections, which may contribute to corrosion.

• Control all work activities that may generate lead dust and debris, contaminate surfaces, or allow contamination by tracking.

• Provide lead hazard awareness training for building maintenance and custodial staff and occupants.

• Employ qualified, trained, and accredited personnel to perform lead testing and abatement work.

• Provide medical monitoring for lead in the blood of employees who work with lead.

This installment of FM Check List is adapted from BOMI Institute’s Environmental Health and Safety Issues course (www.bomi-edu.org/19092.html), a required course in BOMI Institute’s Facilities Management Administrator (FMA) program.