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The Lead Education and Abatement Design Group
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Beware The Lead In Leadlighting

by Dr Marc Grunseit

The information in this fact sheet is intended as a guide only. No guarantee is implied that by following the suggestions contained herein, raised lead levels may not occur.

Leadlighting and Stained Glass as a homeLead Lighting hobby entails some significant risks of heavy metal poisoning by lead and other substances. These are greatest when the hobby is carried out within the living space and particularly in the presence of infants, toddlers and pregnant women.

THE DANGERS

  • Lead Calme strips are 99% pure lead.

  • Solder contains 40%-60% lead.

  • Cementing materials contain lead which is present in both wet and dry states.

  • Lead patina and polishing pastes contain lead.

  • Abrasive compounds bind the lead and carry it in dust form.

  • Solder fluxes contain acids which are particularly dangerous if inhaled.

  • Glass paints and stains contain heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium and Selenium.

These materials present dangers if not properly handled. The greatest risks are from the passage of lead to the mouth or breathing it in when it is hot or in a dust form. Here are some suggestions on what to do and more importantly, what not to do.

HOW TO MINIMISE THE RISKS OF CONTAMINATION

  • Do not do your leadlighting in the home eg: the sunroom table or the spare room. Use a dedicated space outside the living area eg: garage, garden shed, ideally locked. Keep all your materials out of reach of children, in covered containers.

  • Wear dedicated protective clothing and old shoes which you leave in the workspace, particularly if it is dusty. Cotton gloves are a good idea when handling lead.

  • Never eat or smoke in the work area or until you have thoroughly washed your hands with an industrial strength hand cleanser and dried them on a dedicated towel.

  • When soldering, set up a draught which will blow the fumes away from you and draw fresh air from behind. Ideally, if doing a lot of soldering, install an extractor fan. Portable, desktop units are available. Gloves and a mask are advisable.

  • Cementing, cleaning and polishing should be done in a "dirty" area. The same ventilation arrangements apply as for soldering. If these are impossible, do the job outside, *in a dedicated containment area permanently fenced to keep out children and pets. Wear gloves and a (HEPA Filter) dust respirator. Wash down all residue when finished.

  • When restoring old leadlights, soak them first to minimise dust when the panels are dismantled. Wear gloves and a mask or work outside*.

  • Completed leadlight panels should not be touched, especially when freshly polished with blackening paste or when old and crumbling. Furniture should be arranged so that toddlers are unable to put their fingers or faces against the lead calmes.

  • Clean your workspace regularly with water. Do not vacuum as this only spreads the contaminated dust more effectively. Clean the handles of your tools. Try to keep the work space as neat and tidy as possible. Cover shelves and close cupboards. Leave the fewest possible open spaces which can gather dust.

  • Paints and stains should be mixed under an extractor unit until completely wet. Residue should be washed away. Contaminated rags should be separately washed, as with protective clothing, in liquid sugar soap. The washing machine should then be washed out with the sugar soap and spun before use for other clothes.

  • It is recommended that pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and the parents of toddlers postpone the practice of this hobby.

Remember: You respect the glass because it is sharp and can cut you. Lead is soft and blunt, but it can kill you.

Also see D-Lead Soap

The LEAD Group Inc. Fact Sheet Index

1. About the Global Lead Advice and Support Service (GLASS)
2. Main Sources of Lead
3. How Would You Know If Your Child Was lead poisoned?
4. Lead aware housekeeping
5. Ceiling dust & lead poisoning
6. Is your yard lead safe?
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7. Health Impacts of lead poisoning
8. Rotary Questionnaire
9.
Lead poisoned Pets and Your Family
10. Childhood Lead Poisoning Risk Factor Questionnaire
11. Is Your Child Safe From Lead? - What Can You Do About Lead? pdf
12. Lead in Drinking Water in Australia
13. Have We Really Resolved The Lead Issue?
14. The Importance of the Availability of "Spot Tests" for Lead in Paint
15. Pregnant or Planning a Pregnancy
16. Breastfeeding and Lead
17. Lead in breast milk
18. Beware The Lead In Lead Lighting
19. Renting and Lead
20. What to do if you have too much lead in your tank water.pdf
21. Lead Contamination in Stormwater.pdf
22. Contamination At Shooting Ranges.pdf
23. Banned: Leaded Wick Candles
24. Lead, Ageing and Death
     
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25. Metal miniatures: How to minimise the risks of lead poisoning and contamination
26. 7 Point Plan for the MANAGEMENT OF LEAD by Australian parents and carers
27. Countries where Leaded Petrol is Possibly Still Sold for Road Use, As at 10th May 2010
28. Lead Poisoning And The Brain - Cognitive Deficits And Mental Illness
29. Facts and Firsts of Lead
30. Lead mining royalties by state and territory
31. Lead Mining Stewardship - Grey Lead and the Role of The LEAD Group
32. Preventative Strategies of The LEAD Group
33. What do Doctors need to do about Lead?
34. A Naturopath's Experience Of Lead and People With Diagnosed Mental Illness
35. Case File: Helping Manage Australian Lead in Petrol - How GLASS Works
36. Glass Web & Service-Users, Experts & Volunteers, by Country; Countries with Leaded Petrol for Road Use & Worst Pollution
37. Lead in ceiling dust
38. Lead paint & ceiling dust management - how to do it lead-safely
39. Esperance parliamentary inquiry follow-up factsheet: Where to from Here??
  
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40. Broken Hill lead miners factsheet 1893 with Note 20081015
41. Helping a Doctor Help 35,000 Lead-Poisoned People Around the Lead Smelter at La Oroya in Peru
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案例档案:帮助一个医生救助在秘鲁的拉奥罗亚的铅冶炼厂周围的35000铅中毒的人民全球铅咨询和支持的服务机构是怎末工作的
42. Fact sheet for Australian toy importers and traders
43. Iron Nutrition & Lead Toxicity pdf
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44. Sanitarium-Are You getting Enough Iron pdf
45. Do-It-Yourself-Lead-Safe-Test-Kits-flyer
46. Blood lead testing: who to test, when, and how to respond to the result
47. Dangers of a blood lead level above 2 µg/dL and below 10 µg/dL to both adults and children pdf
48. Lead Exposure & Alzheimer’s Disease: Is There A Link?  
49. In CHINA - Blood lead testing: who to test, when, and how to respond to the result
     
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50. Why you should have your ceiling dust removed before you take advantage of the Australian government's Energy Efficient Homes Package: Insulation Program
51. Alperstein et al Lead Alert - A Guide For Health Professionals 1994 pdf
52. Ceiling Dust WorkCover Guide Lee Schreiber Final Nov 1999 pdf
53. What can I do about climate change AND lead?
54. The Need for Expert Clinical Assessments in Diagnosis Of Heavy Metal Poisoning
55. Why you should have your ceiling dust removed before you have insulation installed
56. Thirty Thought-Starters on Ceiling Void Dust in Homes
57. Pectin: Panacea for both lead poisoning and lead contamination
58. Nutrients that reduce lead poisoning June 2010
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59. Lead poisoning and menopause PDF
60. Fact sheet For Schoolkids From Professor Knowlead About Lead PDF
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Last Updated 18 August 2010
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