Lead Remediation - Looking for reputable company to replace windows and paint

Our kids are testing high for levels of lead. Like most around here, we live in an old (1936) house so it seems to be environmental exposure. Looking to replace the windows and repaint interior surfaces - moldings and doorways are chipped. I welcome any feedback and recommendations from those who have already dealt with this. Thanks in advance!

When we had our windows replaced with Andersen renewal, they said I needed to take my toddler daughter out of the house (like overnight out) for the duration of the work. They basically sealed up each area where they worked because of all the lead dust that would be flying around. I would imagine any company would do this, but double check.

As far as paint, I wish I knew. We have a lot of chipping paint on the baseboards and every place we asked about stripping/sanding them down said they would paint over it with a good primer to seal it in. No one would actually remove the paint. Depending on where your chipping paint is, you might want to just have the moldings removed and replaced?

Good luck!!

Do you use water only from the cold water pipes for drinking/cooking? If not, that could be the source of your problem. Unless your young child is eating/mouthing paint chips, it is more likely to be a water pipe problem.

Any of the well known companies can help you. Lead safe painting practices are the law now, and none of these companies will risk their entire business to work in an unsafe manner. Call them and ask.

Dust from lead paint is the greater danger and if the interior house surfaces have been painted since the 1980's, such dust would be unusual. As joan_crystal said, a child eating or putting lead paint chips in their mouth is the more common source of elevated lead blood levels from paint. I second joan_crystal's thought and suggest that you have your water tested at the tap. Of course, never use hot tap water for drinking or cooking as it is likely to have lead from the water heater.

you can have the water and paint tested so that you understand where the source of the lead is coming from.... it may also be in the soil around your house, the exterior paint of your house most likely has lead in it and the dust may be tracked into your house if you walk around with outside shoes.

While it is not a substitute for proper building maintenance and remediation of a hazardous condition, some studies have shown that increasing the daily intake of Vitamin C has health benefits for persons exposed to lead.

We used encapsulation paint on wood trim and baseboards of kids rooms. It is extremely thick paint and holds up incredibly well. Agree with others about testing to pin down source of lea

truth said:
Dust from lead paint is the greater danger and if the interior house surfaces have been painted since the 1980's, such dust would be unusual. As joan_crystal said, a child eating or putting lead paint chips in their mouth is the more common source of elevated lead blood levels from paint. I second joan_crystal's thought and suggest that you have your water tested at the tap. Of course, never use hot tap water for drinking or cooking as it is likely to have lead from the water heater.

Are you sure about that? I would expect that water heaters of recent vintage would be an insignificant source of lead. I suppose some houses may have old copper heaters. Modern water heaters are almost by definition, of recent vintage, because they only last around 10 years.

Lead joints and old lead piping at the water heater are the source of the problem. The government recommends only drinking and cooking with cold water.

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead/leadfactsheet.html#six

Regarding lead in hot vs cold pipes, I believe the issue is not that the water heater is the source, but rather that the water in that system is likely to have been sitting for a longer period and allows greater time for the lead from the solder in any of the joints in the pipes (elbows, connectors, etc) to leach into the water. Consider for example that flushing the toilet accounts for about 26% of the average water use in a home, the cold water lines don't have the same dormant water leach time as the hot water.

Lead from plumbing solder pales in comparison to the lead water main that was removed from my house. Do you know for sure what your water main is made of?

http://www2.epa.gov/lead

Question to buttlesandhubbard: Do you have a detached garage or gardening room where the children play?

Another question: Do you use glazed dishes, serving bowls/platters, cookware? Some of these have lead in the glaze which can leach out over time.