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LEAD
 Lead
in Paint
Lead
in Water Supply
back to safety and environment
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| Lead in Paint |
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Lead has received national
attention for problems in young children, most notably
those who have ingested paint chips.� More recently, the
media has carried research reports describing possible
effects on adults.� The maintenance of painted surfaces
containing lead is covered by various federal and state
regulations to minimize exposure to persons of all ages.�
Our procedures, and those used by painting contractors,
are required to comply with these applicable regulations.
Lead pigments were used in some,
but not most, paints through the early 1970s.� In fact,
the vast majority of interior surfaces tested within
the residence halls continue to be found to be lead-free.
Interior
painted surfaces in our North Campus halls are, practically
speaking, lead paint free.� When lead paint has been
found on the inside of our buildings, it has been largely
limited to the painted trim on closets and around doors
or windows in a few but not most North Hill residence
hall rooms.� Also, lead paints have been found on the
outsides of buildings, such as columns and the trim
near roofs or the exteriors of doors and windows.�
Exterior painting of residence
halls is generally restricted to the summer months when
the buildings are unoccupied.� When this work does occur,
either in our residence halls or other campus buildings,
you will see the entrances of buildings and the surrounding
grounds covered in plastic to prevent the paint chips
from falling on the ground or passing pedestrians.
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Our staff can test for the presence
of lead in previously painted surfaces.� Or, samples will
be sent out for analysis by certified labs.� Painting of lead-containing
surfaces will likely be held until proper abatement procedures
can be followed.�
Lead-free surfaces are scraped and painted
without any special precautions.
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Lead in the
Water Supply
Media attention in recent years has also highlighted the presence
of lead in water from solder used on copper pipes or from lead
pipes in some city water systems.� Campus underground water
lines have never been found to be made of lead pipes.
Very minute traces of lead have been found to be released into
water after a pipes are joined using lead-containing solder.�
Immediately after soldering and filling the pipe with water,
a thin coating of oxidation begins to form on the joint that
significantly reduces but may never eliminate this trace release
of lead.
Only a handful of our oldest, unrenovated buildings were built
using galvanized water supply piping.� As with most older buildings,
repairs over the years have been made with copper pipe in lieu
of using galvanized pipe.
Solder used to join copper pipe sections and fittings contained
lead through the late 1980s.� As soon as no-lead solder became
available, our maintenance program and outside contractors switched
to its use. |
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The last three phases of our
renovation program in South Campus used lead-free solder:
Allegany, Anne Arundel, Charles,
Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, St. Mary's,� Somerset,
Washington.
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CAUTION
Except for the nine of our
halls noted above, the majority of residents should
assume that some if not all domestic water is supplied
through copper pipes joined with solder containing lead.
Media attention several years ago also focused on lead
solder used in the internal components of certain manufacturers'
water coolers and drinking fountains.� A list of the
units assembled using lead solder was compared to those
models used in residence halls.� None of the affected
models were found.
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Residents should use their own judgment
in following the advice provided by health officials, namely,
water for drinking or cooking should run for a minute to flush
out the water that sat overnight in a copper water line.
FYI -- When the campus Environmental
Safety staff has sampled drinking water on campus, none in
residence halls has ever been found to contain elevated levels
of lead!!!
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| back to safety
and environment |
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