Front door paint stripping

[LB600]

Ok I need someone to please talk me down a bit here.

Last Saturday I merrily started stripping our very shabby looking wooden front door with chemical paint stripper, no sanding, just lots of painty messy sludge. Door open, gloves but no mask, 5 month old round the corner in the living room.

A couple of days later I then continued scraping the leftover paint off with a shave hook and scraper (door shut this time, me outside, still no mask, covered in the chippings)

I had bought and done some lead swab tests before I started, door & frame tested negative.

Once I’d hacked off a few layers I retested the door and the frame, the frame was suddenly testing positive for lead, door wasn’t.

I immediately stopped, I got a quote from a carpenter to come and finish the job - special dust vacuum etc. However until he comes next Thursday to do this, I am beside myself, the door is half stripped and flaking, he mentioned he was surprised the door wasn’t lead paint too, so I retested it and the bottom layer- lead!

I’m lying in bed at night picturing rogue paint chips where my baby is soon to be crawling.

Obviously I’ve hoovered and mopped, but how far do you take this, is my hoover contaminated and spreading lead round the house, the mop?

How many novice DIYers must strip paint without even realising the potential for lead?

I don’t give a fig about me, I suppose I’d just like some reassurance I’ve not irreversibly damaged my child
😥

• I’ve told my husband we’re keeping door opening to a minimum until it’s sorted and I’m hoovering up anything I notice falling off!

I'd be more concerned about you than the baby. That's an awful long time to be inhaling chemicals. The lead not so much of an issue as it needs to be inhaled or ingested. Neither of these things will have happened to the baby as particles could not travel far. Lead poisoning from paint in babies occurred because toys and cots were painted in lead based paints and the child chewed them.

I've asked DH about this for you as he's a chemistry professor specialising in industrial materials. He says try to to worry as the risk to anyone is very low and what you've done so far is the right course of action.

Your vacuum cleaner will be fine just change the bag.

Vacuum up and loose flakes, which you've done

Keeping your front door open won't make any difference.

Unlike asbestos, it's perfectly safe to deal with lead paint yourself so long as you're careful.

Be wary of any paintwork in the rest of the house because if you've found it in one spot it may well be in others. Babies and young kids are prone to licking lead paint as it actually tastes sweet, so stop them immediately if you see any of that going on.

Thank you both. Definitely stalled my thirst for DIY in the future!