Delaware home is no longer lead hazardous

 Sara Smith, is a foster mother of two, and  also takes care of grandchildren. She  is happy  to say her home no longer has lead hazards.

“You don’t want them getting sick especially when they are not all yours,” says Sara.

However, being lead free  wasn’t always the case for her and her family. A little over a year ago,Sara was doing work on her house and says she noticed paint peeling on her porch. She tells us back then she admits she didn’t think realize the danger.

“I just started scraping and pulling what I could off and then I finally had someone come in and paint it. I didn’t know it had lead or what in there,” says Sara.

It wasn’t long after that she found out about First State Community Action Agency and their lead assessment program. Someone from the agency came out to look at her home and confirmed what she feared…lead.

Lead was found on her porch and part of the exterior of her home, however none was found in her home. First State tells us  that even lead paint outside the home can be a risk.
    
“It ends up in the floor whether you open the window or tack it in and out the house which is why with this house having a lead paint on the porch you have an egress in and out of your house. Tracking it on your feet. You know bringing it on your carpet. The kid crawls around, it gets on his hand. Most kids under the age of six are going to put their hands on their mouth,” says Scott.

Scott tells 47 ABC they came out and did what they call a wet-scrape  on Sara’s home. Contractors removed flaking lead paint and then cover it with fresh lead-free paint.

“Which essentially locks the paint in place that’s underneath it. They are not getting rid of the lead paint,” says Scott.

Despite this, Sara says she is satisfied  for herself and her children.

“I have to make sure that I am safe in order to take care of them,” says Sara.

In Sara’s case, the whole remediation process took two days and cost $5,700, but  this was completely covered through grant money in Delaware. However it’s important to know that cost varies in each individual case. First State also told us that after a house has been remediated for lead exposure  they should re-check once a year for any peeling. They also recommend putting on a fresh coat of paint every one to two years.

For more information on how to get your home assessed you can contact First State Community Action Agency at 302-856-7761 or click here to connect to their website.