R. D. Davis quotes Shaun Ripley's question, and responds (in part) thus:
> > I started to worry about lead paint problem when
> > buying an old house. I bought a lead test kit and
>
> Why? As long as your child is smart enough not to eat paint flakes or
> lick the dust, there isn't much to worry about. People have grown up
> living in houses with lead paint for many years and survived. [...]
Well, the kid's only two - and therefore probably _would_ be willing to
eat the stuff. Intelligence is one thing; experience of the world is
another. :) In any event, lead as a contaminant can also be transmitted
by breathing dust, so eating computer boards may not be the main potential
problem.
I agree that the kid could accumulate a good quantity of lead and survive,
but survival isn't necessarily the issue here: the brain and nervous
system are still developing at that age, and thus have added
susceptibility to damage from small amounts of lead poisoning - which they
would _survive_, almost certainly, but developmental damage at that age
could lead to diminished capacity and therefore a predisposition to voting
for those mandatory can-opener safety laws and such which were discussed
with such passion earlier on. :) So, though it's unlikely to actually
be life-threatening, I don't think the concern over the lead is at all
misplaced.
> > tested the paint chips from the windows and fould them
> > to be positive. Then I tested some computer boards,
> > and the result was postive too. Have you ever found
>
> Relax, don't panic. Realize that they'll get more lead exposure from
> soldering or from pencils and don't waste your time worrying about it.
I suspect most two-year-olds don't do that much soldering. :) But the
advice about not panicking is certainly very sound.
> > [...] Has anybody done any
> > research on this issue? To be safe, I am going to
> > throw most of my boards to attic, which are lying on
> > the floor and accessible to my two year old daughter.
Lead or no lead, this is a smart idea. Mr. Davis is quite correct in
noting that two-year-olds and printed-circuit boards are just not the
ideal combination. (In the same vein I might suggest not allowing
two-year-olds to use lathes, screw guns, pottery or glassblowing
equipment.)
In worrying about lead contaminants, however, I suspect vintage computers
will be nowhere _near_ the hazard level for your kid as the paint could
potentially be. The best advice there seems to be: get rid of the dust,
keep things clean, get rid of the dust, seal off the painted areas with a
non-lead-based paint, and get rid of the dust. Some slightly smarter
and more detailed advice can be had from the EPA:
http://www.epa.gov/lead/leadinfo.htm#protect
That's my free advice, for whatever the hell it's worth. I am not a
parent, nor do I play one on TV.
-O.-
...though I _have_ raised two very intelligent dogs. :) :)
Received on Thu Jun 03 2004 - 18:24:19 BST