Many buildings built or last renovated prior to 1978 have a high chance of containing lead-based paint. Constructed in the 19th and early 20th century, mill buildings are no exception. Now vacated and scheduled for redevelopment, lead paint is a common find in pre-project surveys. In most cases, the lead paint needs to be removed altogether, especially if the mill buildings are going to be turned into residential or mixed-use spaces. While this may involve higher upfront costs, the long-term benefits are often worth it, removing the problem once and for all.
Lead Paint Removal
Removing lead paint is often the best process for lead abatement, as opposed to encapsulation or replacing lead-coated assets. When removing lead paint, safety is top of mind for both contractors and facility owners, impacting their decision on the removal process.
Abrasive blasting is commonly chosen as a standard paint removal method, but the type of abrasive chosen has a great impact on the safety of the workers. With some abrasives, such as coal slag or garnet, high amounts of dust accumulate during the blasting process. On the other hand, Sponge Media suppresses the dust that occurs during the blasting process, allowing for workers to work in longer stretches with lower risk of exposure. Not only does this keep workers safe by minimizing their exposure, but it also keeps project timelines on track, ultimately keeping costs lower than traditional abrasives would.
Furthermore, many mill buildings in the United States are turned into residential or mixed-use spaces, meaning they need to abide by the HUD (U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development) guidelines for lead-based paint. These guidelines require the proper removal of any and all known lead-based paint to ensure the safety of current or future occupants of the premises. With the unique capabilities of Sponge Media, these standards can be easily met.
Cradle to Grave Responsibility
“Cradle to Grave” is the phrase used to describe the legal responsibility of those that produce hazardous waste, which starts from the moment it is removed from a wall in a building (from abrasive blasting, grinding, etc.) and continues until that waste has been transported and secured into long-term storage at a licenced disposal facility. During this process, contractors must follow strict procedures regarding the collection of hazardous waste and how it is stored on the jobsite prior to its disposal. These practices include the accepted collection, quantification, labeling, inspection, testing, record keeping, and reporting of collected waste.
For an in-depth look at Cradle to Grave responsibilities, view our article:
Lead Waste: What ‘Cradle to Grave’ Really Means
Since waste hauling and treatment is often charged by the pound, minimizing the volume of hazardous waste accumulated via abrasive blasting is often the best practice for contractors. Choosing a lightweight, recyclable, low-dust abrasive media is typically the best option for minimizing costs in this scenario.
When traditional abrasives are used, this translates to expensive per-pound waste removal, as the spent abrasive weight ends up being much heavier than used Sponge abrasives. Sponge Media is recycled on the jobsite adjacent to blasting. This unique process creates a huge waste disposal cost savings - in some cases as much as 85%.
Unfortunately, some "low bid" contractors will hide their lead waste through dilution. These contractors will remove the lead using cheap abrasives like slag or crushed glass and add extra abrasives to the waste stream. This dilution may fool a standard TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) test used to determine if the waste must be classified as hazardous, but will not absolve the waste originator (the source building or facility) of consequences if the lead leaches out of the landfill, creating a costly environmental issue.
Many landfills that have been contaminated with lead waste have been deemed superfund sites, requiring an extensive, long-term cleanup. Those costs are passed onto the waste originators, and becomes far more costly than simply disposing of the hazardous waste properly.
Overall, keeping waste disposal costs down is a big factor in lead removal projects, especially those of the size and scale of mill buildings.
Before starting a lead project, make sure you have your bases covered. Review Sponge-Jet's Deleading and Lead Abatement Industry CYA Checklist below: https://info.spongejet.com/lead-abatement-with-sponge-jet