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Lead Removal / Mercury Removal / PCB Removal / Hantavirus
Lead Hazards
Lead Hazards
What is lead, and why is it hazardous to our health?
Lead is a metallic element found worldwide in rocks and soils. The toxic effects of lead have been known since ancient times.
Recent research has shown that lead represents a greater hazard at lower levels of concentration than had been thought. Airborne lead enters the body when an individual breathes lead particles or swallows lead dust. Until recently, the most important source of lead was automobile exhaust. When ingested, lead accumulates in the blood, bones, and soft tissue of the body. High concentrations of lead in the body can cause death or permanent damage to the central nervous system, the brain, the kidneys, and red blood cells. Even low levels of lead may increase high blood pressure in adults. Infants, children, pregnant women, and fetuses are more vulnerable to lead exposure than others because the lead is more easily absorbed into growing bodies and their tissues are more sensitive to the effects of lead.
Because of a child's smaller body weight, an equal concentration of lead is more damaging to a child than to an adult.
What are the sources of lead in and around the home?
Lead can be present in drinking water, in paint used to decorate the interior or exterior of a home, in the dust within a home, and in soil around the home.
Is lead a concern in newly renovated older homes?
If the renovation included renovation of aging water pipes with copper or other metal piping, you should check with the renovating contractor to ensure that lead solder was not used in pipe joints. Further, some old homes contain water systems made of pipes that can contain high levels of lead. If the original water lines remain in the house, you should question the renovating contractor regarding his or her knowledge of pipe composition.
Lead-Based Paint
How prevalent is lead-based paint?
Lead-based Paint in Homes: The likelihood that your home contains lead-based paint depends on when it was built and painted. Homes built before 1960 probably do contain lead-based paint. If your home was built after 1980, there is no need for concern about lead levels in interior paint, but there may be lead in the paint used on the outside. There is no need for any concern about leaded paint in homes built after 1992, because all consumer paints produced in Canada and the U.S. by that time were virtually lead-free.
How can I tell whether the paint in a home contains lead?
The only accurate way to determine if paint in a home contains lead is to have a sample of the paint tested in a qualified laboratory. Should you suspect that lead is present in paint, or if you wish to have the paint tested, please contact Clean Air Services.
I have heard about problems when children eat chips of lead-based paint, but are there any other ways that lead-based paint can be harmful?
While the health hazards to children from eating lead-based paint chips have been known for some time, other sources of exposure to lead in household air have been documented only recently. Lead can enter the air within a home when surfaces covered with lead-based paint are scraped, sanded, or heated with an open flame in paint stripping procedures. Once released into the home atmosphere, lead particles circulate in the air and can be inhaled or ingested through the mouth and nose. Lead particles freed in fine dust or vapors can settle into carpet fibers and fabric and can be recirculated in the air by normal household cleaning (such as sweeping and dusting) and through the normal hand-to-mouth behavior of young children, which results in the ingestion of potentially harmful amounts of any lead present in household dust. Fine particles of lead penetrate the filter systems of home vacuum cleaners and are recirculated in the exhaust air streams of such appliances. Lead can also enter household air from outside sources (such as contaminated soil) and from recreational activities that require the use of solder or materials containing lead.
How can I get rid of lead-based paint safely?
It is best to leave lead-based paint undisturbed if it is in good condition and there is little possibility that it will be eaten by children. Other procedures include covering the paint with wallpaper or some other building material, or completely replacing the painted surface.
If your desire is to remove the lead paint from the structure, please contact Clean Air Services.
If the house was built prior to 1950, there is a good chance that lead from surface paint has accumulated in and around the home. Clean the floors, window sills, and other surfaces regularly, preferably with wet rags and mops. Practice good hygiene with your children, especially frequent hand washing.
Mercury Awareness
Why bother to remove potential mercury-containing items
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Employee safety - Airborne mercury is highly toxic and workers who are exposed to it are at a serious health risk. Also, elemental mercury when absorbed through the skin often causes allergic reactions. |
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Safety of Others - Improper mercury disposal can contaminate the food chain and air supply. |
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Positive Publicity for Company - Being known as an environmentally safe/friendly company may persuade like-minded consumers to respect the environment. |
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Where - Removal of mercury-containing equipment such as thermostats, light bulbs, pilot light sensors, gauges, and switches/relays are all relatively small. |
Removal and Disposal of devices containing mercury
Contact Clean Air Services for all your requirements. Our professional staff will remove and dispose of the mercury following all local regulations.
Cleaning up a Spill of Mercury
If you spill a small amount of mercury, do not touch it, and never use a vacuum or broom to clean it up. Open a window to allow good ventilation to the area and insure that the room is closed off to personnel. Contact Clean Air Services.
The proper removal and disposal of mercury-containing devices will help make Canada a safer place to live. The proper disposal of mercury, no matter what the amount, is beneficial for the environment and the health of all people.
PCB's
What are PCB's?
PCB's are a class of chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls. They are entirely man-made and do not occur naturally. They are industrials chemicals which were synthesized and commercialized in North America in 1929. They were used in the manufacturing of electrical equipment, heat exchangers, hydraulic systems, and several other specialized applications up to the late 1970s. They were never manufactured in Canada but were widely used in this country. PCB's are very persistent both in the environment and in living tissue.
They were used in many different types of products including hydraulic fluid, casting wax, pigments, carbonless copy paper, plasticizer, vacuum pumps, compressors, heat transfer systems and others. Their primary use, however, was as a dielectric fluid in electrical equipment. Because of their stability and resistance to thermal breakdown as well as their insulating properties they were the fluid of choice for transformers and capacitors. As a matter of fact, because of their fire resistance, they were required by some fire codes.
Among the health affects of PCB's are skin ailments called chloracne, reproductive disorders, liver disease and others. PCB's are a suspected human carcinogen and a known animal carcinogen. They are resistant to degradation and therefore persist for many years in the environment.
For safe removal and disposal please contact Clean Air Services.
Common Uses of PCB's:
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Adhesives |
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Asphalt Roofing Materials |
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Carbonless Copy Paper |
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Compressor Oil |
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De-dusting Agents |
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Dielectric Fluid |
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Dyes |
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Electromagnets |
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Fluorescent Light Ballasts |
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Heat Transfer Fluid |
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Inks |
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Insulating Coatings - Military Applications - Mixed with Asbestos |
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Lubricants |
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Natural Gas Pipeline |
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Paints |
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Pesticides |
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Plasticizers |
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Rubberizers |
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Space Heaters |
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Submersible Well Pumps |
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Tar Paper |
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Wax Extenders |
Household Appliances That Contain Oil-Filled Capacitor:
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Air Conditioners |
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Copy Machines |
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Dehumidifiers |
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Fluorescent Light Ballasts - Fluorescent stove lights have been found to be serviced by a transformer ballast filled with a PCB-laden asphalt resin. Please be advised that resins found in resistors, fluorescent light ballasts and other electrical equipment also are likely to contain PCB's |
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Mercury Vapor Lamps |
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Microwave Ovens |
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Oil-filled Space or Portable Heaters - The issue with these items is not the presence of a PCB capacitor, but the presence of PCB's in the actual oil inside of the heater. This condition is present in a very few manufacturers products, however, PCB levels present in these can be quite serious. Testing of the oil is recommended prior to disposal, crushing, shredding or baling. |
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Submersible Well Pumps (depending on manufacturer) |
Household Appliances That Predominantly Contain Dry Capacitor:
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Clothes Dryers |
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Fans |
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Refrigerators |
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Stoves |
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Televisions |
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Washing Machines |
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Various Electronic Equipment |
Link for further information http://www.ec.gc.ca/pcb/eng/lin_e.htm
Hantavirus
What is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus infection is caused by a virus that is found in some rodents. The principal carrier is the deer mouse or white-footed mouse which is commonly found in Alberta. As it is possible that other rodents could carry the virus, and it is not easy to determine what kind of mouse a person is exposed to, all rodents should be treated as potential carriers. The virus is rarely transmitted to humans, but when it is, the virus can cause severe illness - even death.
How is it transmitted?
The hantavirus does not appear to cause illness in the rodent hosts, but is shed in their saliva, urine and droppings. The virus is usually spread to humans when particles of infected saliva, urine or feces are inhaled. Inhalation may occur through direct contact with the rodent, or from breathing airborne dust particles that are generated when rodent excreta are disturbed. The virus can be spread if infected materials contact broken skin or the membrane lining of the eyelids and eyeball.
Research also indicates that the virus may be spread if:
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a rodent bites you (this is very rare) |
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if you touch something that has been contaminated with rodent urine droppings or saliva, and then touch your nose or mouth |
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if you eat or drink food or water contaminated by rodents |
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There is no evidence that the hantavirus is transmitted by any other type of animal or insect besides rodents. There have been no reported cases of human to human spread with the strain found in North America |
Signs and Symptoms of Infection
The disease caused by the Hantavirus is Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). It generally begins as a flu-like illness occurring about 1 - 5 weeks after having an exposure to mouse droppings (such as cleaning up a warehouse or outbuilding).
Early universal symptoms include:
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fatigue |
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fever |
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muscle aches - especially the large muscle groups - thighs, hips, back, sometimes shoulders |
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about half of patients will experience other symptoms including:
- headaches
- dizziness
- chills
- abdominal problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
- late symptoms start about 4 -10 days later and include:
- coughing
- shortness of breath -which may feel like a tight band around the chest |
Worker’s with these symptoms should see a physician as soon as possible. The best treatment for this disease is prevention and early diagnosis. Make sure that the physician is aware of your conditions of work and potential exposures.
Occupational Exposure to Hantavirus:
Where is the virus most likely to be encountered?
Most rodents are found in rural and semi-rural areas, however, many are highly adaptable and can be found in homes as well as commercial and industrial buildings.
Cases of hantavirus in North America have been associated with:
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Sweeping out barns and other farm buildings |
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Trapping and studying mice |
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Using compressed air and dry sweeping to clean up wood waste in a sawmill |
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Handling grain contaminated with mouse droppings and urine |
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Entering a barn infested with mice |
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Planting or harvesting field crops |
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Occupying previously vacant dwellings |
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Disturbing rodent-infested areas while hiking or camping |
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Living in or cleaning dwellings with a sizable indoor rodent population |
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Locations where rodents may feed or find shelter include:
Outside:
- Rubbish piles (ie. woodpiles)
- Infrequently used equipment
- Garbage
- Weeds and long grass
Inside:
- Food storage containers and areas around containers
- Garbage storage areas
- Nooks and crannies |
To perform any Decontamination Procedure and clean up of infested areas, please call Clean Air Services.
Information Link:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/00vol26/dr2608ea.html |
