Paint and Coatings

No one can tell if paint has lead, PCBs or asbestos by looking at it although the age of a building can be a good indicator. Generally, painted waste must be designated or evaluated to see if it is dangerous waste before it is disposed. For more detailed information about testing and sampling paint refer to the pages on

Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, Barium and Arsenic

Lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium were commonly used in paint as pigments and preservatives and are now found in paint on older buildings. Arsenic has used as a pigment, a wood preservative and as an anti-fouling ingredient. Barium has been used as a pigment and a corrosion inhibitor.

Regulated amounts of these metals are found on all types of painted surfaces, but higher levels of lead and mercury paints were used on exterior painted wood, metal and concrete, and interior window frames and doors.

Table of Building Dates and Estimated Amounts of Lead and Mercury in Paint

The age of a structure is directly related to the type and amount of dangerous materials that can be in the paint:

Date	Hazardous Materials Used in Paint
1953	Paint industry standards reduced lead levels in paint to 1.0% (or 10,000 parts per million)
1962	Lead reduced to 0.5% (or 1,000 parts per million). Most buildings constructed before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint.
1972	The Lead Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act established the level of 0.5% in house paints.
1972	Mercury compounds were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency from use in marine paint.
1978	The final 1977 Lead Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act regulation set the maximum allowable level at 0.06% (or 600 parts per million) became effective and lead at 0.06 percent or more was banned from consumer paints. The Washington State Department of Health estimates 1.2 million homes in Washington have lead based paint. Refer to Banned Lead Products for more information.
1990	Mercury in interior latex paint was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency. Up until it was banned in interior paints in 1990, paint was the third largest manufacturing use of mercury. Most buildings constructed before 1990 or 1991 probably contain some mercury in their paint.
1992	Mercury in interior paint banned but most manufacturers had reduced the amounts of mercury in their products before these dates. Refer to Banned Mercury Products for more information.
1993	A Consumer Product Safety Commission study of consumer paint samples found that paints on the market meet the standard and are actually below the 0.06 percent level.
1996	Lead was not banned from gasoline used in transportation until December 1995. See Banned Lead Products for more information.

Excellent information about historic paint ingredients (including 20th century paints) and many other building topics is available on The Old House Web at www.oldhouseweb.net. As an example refer to Painting Historic Interiors.

Asbestos

In 1989 the EPA banned U.S. manufacturing, importation, processing, or distribution in commerce of many asbestos-containing product categories. However, much of the original "Asbestos Ban and Phase out" rule was set aside in 1991. EPA does NOT track the manufacture, processing, or distribution in commerce of asbestos-containing products.

Lists of common building and consumer products with asbestos are found in two EPA publications for homeowners:

PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were used in paint formulations as drying oils (resins) and plasticizers or softening agents (liquids).

Concrete surfaces and equipment, as well as marine or waterproofing applications, used at Federal installations and in the manufacturing and industrial sectors may have painted surfaces contaminated with PCBs.

Data provided to EPA indicate that PCBs have been found in dried paint at concentrations that range from leas than 1 part per million to 97,000 parts per million (Refs. 9 and 13)." From Use Authorization for and Distribution in Commerce of Non-Liquid Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Notice of Availability; Partial Reopening of Comment Period - Proposed Rule, December 10, 1999 (69358-69364) - Text Format, PDF Format

Possible Dangerous Waste Codes

Household Paint Waste Disposal

Paints and Coatings that Can Be Excluded From the Dangerous Waste Regulations

Consumer Lead Paint Information Sources

The National Lead Information Center (NLIC) provides the general public and professionals with information about lead hazards and their prevention. NLIC operates under a contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

To receive a general information packet, to order other documents, or for detailed information or questions, call the Center's clearinghouse and speak with a specialist Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm EST:

The following on-line publications are available from EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics - Public Education Resources. You can also order documents and request information about Lead Poisoning and Lead Hazards through the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) at 1-800-424-LEAD. Some documents are available in Spanish and other formats.