Lead in the Bathtub
Hi, So I had the potential 2 family brownstone thoroughly tested for Lead yesterday –since we have a toddler– and while I was expecting lead on the woodwork, I was shocked to find the highest reading in the whole house to be the inside of the beautiful cast iron clawfoot tub!!! Now I have to…
Hi,
So I had the potential 2 family brownstone thoroughly tested for Lead yesterday –since we have a toddler– and while I was expecting lead on the woodwork, I was shocked to find the highest reading in the whole house to be the inside of the beautiful cast iron clawfoot tub!!!
Now I have to find a replacement tub that looks old– anyone have experience with this– do all these old tubs have lead in the porcelain? It doesn’t look like it’s been refinished…
Is there any other free-standing, NON-tacky, non acrylic options?
Besides the 20k urban archaeology versions… ?
In an April 19, 1995 Good Morning America Broadcast, they stated that bathtubs were America’s most unexpected source of lead exposure for children. This is also true to this day. They also stated that as of late 1995, manufactures were continuing to use poisonous substances in the manufacturing of bathtubs. This is a concern for all of us, as lead exposure can cause serious illness especially in children.
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In another article Claud Linges, President of American Lead Consultants said,” We find lead in tubs 50% of the time, when inspecting older homes”. This is why it is so very important to test your bathtub for lead. Small children are the most effected by lead exposure. Even in small amounts lead exposure can effect the development of our children. Most children are exposed to lead, in bathtubs by drinking the water.
There are only two solutions to this problem they are removal, or refinishing of the bathtub. The most cost effective is refinishing. By encapsulating the bathtub, you are eliminating the lead exposure. Bathtubs tested as much as 8 years, after refinishing have shown no traces of lead.
If you are thinking of purchasing an older claw footed bathtub, make sure you test it for lead before use. These bathtubs contain a lot of lead in the porcelain and in the cast iron. Most claw footed bathtubs have also been painted, on the exterior with old lead based paints. Children should never be exposed to these bathtubs unless the tub has been properly refinished by a professional.
http://www.nybathtubreglazers.com
“F-off and bite me CMU”
“you are truly pathetic”
wow … THL & Downing2fam. Quite a shrill reaction you folks have.
Nobody’s stopping you from buying a new tub if you want to, but if you live in an old house in the city, not in a bubble, there will be risks. I think cmu’s point, that your actions should be proportionate to the risk, is a fair one.
Did anyone see the subway ad for Flatrate movers – The growing family move? I couldn’t find a link, but I got a good chuckle when I saw it yesterday.
Downing2fam,
You might reconsider the eating of dirt. Especially if there were elevated levels of lead in your child’s test results. I have friends that eventually discovered the source of their child’s high lead levels was the dirt in the back yard of their brownstone! I’m kinda with cmu on this one. If you ride in the subway system with your child, he will be exposed to more lead in the air as the train passes than he will ever get from your old tub.
I feel like it’s important to point out here that an internet forum is a forum of opinion, that we are all here to have a good time as much as to help, and that CMU’s opinion is just as valid as the original poster’s. In fact, I tend to agree with it. We do live in a society that consistently misunderstands risks in a few specific dimensions:
1. We focus exhaustively on *known* risks, simply because they are known, in a way that is not proportional to the risk itself.
2. We protect our children more than most cultures do.
3. We tend to think about risk in terms of making it go away, as if that’s possible. This creates a lot of consumer pain.
CMU’s delivery was characteristically blunt. But I think that his larger point (which I believe is merely to state that this way of looking at risk represents a worldview that speaks volumes about our collective ignorance and lack of humility and, ironically, has the potential to create weaker children) is a tangent, but not a radical one, not out in left field.
It could even be a helpful set of ideas to throw out there. All of my friends who are mothers grapple mightily with the concept of risk, and how it dovetails with our construction of motherhood. It sucks.
renovators has reproduction tubs..but absolutely do not buy their faucets or anything like that they are totally awful and will fail w/in 2 years..http://www.rensup.com/Categories/Cat-1525.htm
CMU, I hear you, but I can’t blame Downing for being careful. Downing, you sound informed and I’m not sure I would not do the same, even though I renovated a large house in Mass. where the hype and regulation made me choke.
We replaced our cast iron tub for other reasons with one from Victoria & Albert. They call the material Englishcast, which is not metallic but not acrylic, either. It has a 25-year warranty, which is pretty rare. The material is relatively warm to the touch (doesn’t conduct thermal energy the way cast iron does). We really like our Como. Prices are 2-3K. Check it out.
http://www.vandabaths.com/usa/baths.php
What’s offensive about pointing out the realities of lead, asbestos etc? We all grew up with these supposed “dangers” and we’re ok as pointed out by two others above. If you’re obsessive and risk-averse, ok, but I don’t have to agree with it and I will point out the physical facts.
Nobody suggested that you renovate while living in a lead paint zone. If you don’t disturb lead paint, there’s absolutely no danger. That’s a fact. And the same for asbestos, you can even quite safely remove it yourself (disposing it is another story.) The danger in both cases is prolonged or extensive exposure, not casual.
We live in a climate of fearfulness and litigiousness, and of course, there’s big money in official abatement procedures. Pardon me if I don’t march along…and I am both an engineer and have a degree in environmental studies.
And I contest downing2fam’s assertion. It’s counter to all I know. Of course, if you subscribe to the theory that there’s NO level of lead that’s safe, you could say touching solder would kill you.
by the way, the lead inspector said that there is a lead risk if a child was soaking in warm water for more than 10 minutes and if the child was ingesting some water…
Thanks Townhouselady! I can’t believe I need defending on this… And thank you fenfen for the recommendation. Also, thanks for the leads on un-leading the original one. I didn’t know this was possible. These leads are exactly why I asked this forum, I didn’t know that CMU was going to take out all their aggression on me…
Yes I had my brownstone tested for lead and I found out what has been repaired in the last 30 years and what hasn’t. It saved me from stripping all the radiators, several doors, etc. I decided it was worth 400 dollars to know this before I bought it. And as far as the asbestos goes, yes, I’m also going to have it removed professionally. And is my 2 year old licking the bathtub, no probably not, but he does really enjoy baths and often takes the water in his mouth and spits it at his toys while he sits in the bath, and yes, sometimes I even let him stay in there as long as he wants — a whole hour sometimes.
CMU, you really are offensive. The whole reason I am buying a brownstone is because I like the old details, etc. but what is the point of not knowing exactly what I’m getting into before I buy?
They tested my 2 year old last year and his lead was not exceeding the max level but high nonetheless, and I’m trying to figure out how to keep him heathy. I let him eat dirt, kiss our dog, etc. but you are truly pathetic for reacting to my posting the way you did. You obviously have other problems most likely more severe than if I am testing my house for lead or replacing an old tub.
good luck to you!