Found lead in the paint after sanding it, so distressed

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Hi all,
We were in the middle of renovating and decided to sand (strip off) and ild door framme that had 4-5 layers of paint. Closer to the end of the stripping I started to be suspicious as the underneath paint layers were light green, yellow and even red.
I have ordered a lead paint testing kit and on some parts of the door the test swabs turned light pink, which means lead positive positive!

I feel so stressed and mad at myself for not checking earlier, so so worried for our child exposed to it. The child is primary school age.

As we didn't expect the paint to have lead (the house was built very late 60s), my husband did not take any extra precautions. When he was sanding, me and my child were away, when we returned, he was done and just lightly hovered, so it was still dusty. It is a high traffic area (corridor), so for another 3-5 days we were walking around...even our dining table is only 2m away from it. I cannot think of a worse exposure.

We are now away from the for a couple of weeks, so will make sure the place is dust free and the door frame is either replaced or sealed properly.

I am stressed of what to do, spent 1.5h waiting on the nhs line with no result or advice.

I am such an idiot

Is there any advice at all @pigletjohn or anyone?

well, lead was removed from petrol because repeated, constant daily exposure year after year has an accumulative effect on children. Not because one or two days does

@Nimbostratus100 I see your point but I am so worried as it was really dusty and the dining table with some 'clean' plates and cutlery was in the room next door. The door was closed but not tightly and we were going in and out, so it is very possible that dust/traces might have got in the food....

I wouldn’t worry, lead has to be ingested - your child wasn’t inhaling or eating it.

how old are they as over 6 isn’t so bad either

Also, I get it, something similar but worse happened to us. My daughter is now 9 and totally fine and thriving

@Minimummonday thank you for your kind words... I am mortified I might have hurt my child

Do you mind me asking what happened to your DD? Glad she is doing well ❤️‍🩹

Hi Op
I second that Lead is only poisonous if accidently inhaled or eaten,
So should be OK,

As a precaution safe practice you could give those plates and cutlery a wash, and wipe over door of next room ect..

I understand the worry OP. We have been doing up a derelict property for 2yrs. Lead water pipes, likely lead paint and the worst- asbestos!

You can't change a one off event, but do check for lead/asbestos going forward. Drilling holes/sanding etc. Asbestos is worse than lead paint though!

Just clear up the mess and clean thoroughly with precautions and move on. I think you are worrying way to much.

My parents stripped our whole house of paint, the lower layers of which I am only now thinking must have been lead based. Nothing happened OP.

You’ve posted about this previously. We have already told you you’re being over anxious.

Wash all the plates and cups.
Wipe down surfaces with damp cloths that you throw away.
Hang any fabrics outdoors and beat while wearing mask.
Replace the hoover bag and HEPA filters.

I heard from a welder that they drink milk in order to block absorption of lead into the body. Not sure if it's fact or myth.

I once slept in a bedroom with an artexed ceiling.
Do I have asbestos poisoning now? 🙂

The likelihood of any harm being done is virtually zero. A single (non) event like this certainly isn’t going to harm anyone or anything.

This is a classic OCD fear, OP - fear of contamination is one of the most common intrusive thought patterns (asbestos is a very common fixation, and this is similar) and your reaction is very typical. Do you have OCD? If not, it might be worth reading about it and talking to your GP. But please stop googling paint contamination - seeking reassurance actually makes intrusive thoughts worse.

Your child is more at risk from air outside and emissions from cars tbh

You could get blood tests if you’re worried? Pretty common in the US.

Goodness, no wonder the nhs line is busy and slow when we have these kind of nonsense calls. It’s a bit of dust op, it might contain a trace of lead, not plutonium, I’m sure you’ll be fine. We regularly (weekly) eat game that’s shot with lead and have done for many years.

Not sure why so many are dismissing you OP - I guess they’re just commenting without having knowledge.
we had something similar. DD was tested and did have a raised level of lead. She’s fine, but I was annoyed she’d been exposed as I’d got her out the house whilst the actual work was going on. This is what I’d do:

1. get a HEPA air filter. Have that going whilst you are away
2. hoover with a vacuum that uses a HEPA filter - they don’t all, Henry hoovers do if you get HEPA bags (there will be other types too).

thanks all for replying
I wouldn't worry about myself or dh but for the child. The guidance I've read was from nhs and other reputable websites, which outlined that even incidental exposure is bad enough, especially when it comes to inhaling sanding dust.
Of course I would not freak out if a tiny area was sanded 2 floors away or 3 little flakes of paint fell off.
It's hard to let it go when your young child is involved and I will always feel that guilt when potentially putting him in danger by doing something stupid like that.

Really appreciate all your comments, I will work on trying to calm down

@Dammitthisisshit thank you, a HEPA air filter is a good idea

Damp mopping, and wiping with wet kitchen roll that you throw away, is a better way to remove dust than vacuuming. Throw away the bags and filters from your vac (and I'd sponge out the inside, and wash removable plastic parts).

We're doing up a house with lead paint and a baby, so have looked into this a fair bit.

As others have said, wet clean the area a couple of times til there is no dust. Also wet clean the inside of your vacuum, if your normal household one was used. Up intake of vitamin C, iron and calcium for your child for a bit to help chelate any lead exposure. www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/docs/5things-508.pdf

It's ongoing exposure which is meant to be more harmful, so the three days should be okay if it's all cleaned up since.

Also yes a hepa air filter. You can get them for less than £100 on Amazon.

Sorry and saw you wanted to seal over it also! We were told to use Zinsser Bullseye primer - two coats under paint to seal it properly. You don't need to sand, just wipe down with some soap, if you have other doors and frames in the house you need to cover