So I stupidly sanded down part of a piece of old moulding that most probably had lead paint under the top coat of paint- I sanded it down to the wood underneath, maybe a 1×6″ patch total- no dust mask, not great ventilation.

The question is NOT how stupid was that (that’s already understood), but how dangerous was that? I used an orbital sander which usually doesn’t catch all the dust either- also, no kids around to worry about.

No need to pile on the insults, I just wasn’t thinking straight and wanted to get the job done quick- let me know what you think.


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Lets see, I’ve been in the construction biz for over
    30 years. Had my own painting business in the late 70’s and scraped a boatload of lead filled paint in old homes and was a plumber for a nice stretch and probably breathed in my good fill of asbestos tearing old boilers apart. I’m 54 yrs old and still breathing just fine. Oh yeah, and to top that off, I smoked anywhere from 1-4 packs a day from ’72 to 2009. I’ve been smoke free since September of ’09, and I feel great.

  2. Mopar-

    We had gobs of paint stripped during our reno but none of it was sanded. We had a crew come in and strip it with chemicals. Wasn’t that expensive.

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