Lead in your French Property

The issue of lead in old properties is a familiar topic to many home owners in Britain, as many of our old, historic buildings are full of lead paint work and piping. The problem is a common occurrence in many older French properties too but if the problem is addressed and all the required reports and prevention strategies are carried out, then there is in fact little cause for concern.

Lead and your property

Any French property that has been built prior to January 1st 1949 and is located in a zone that is considered a ‘lead risk’ zone, is required by French law to have a lead report that confirms that the building is free from the potentially hazardous lead. When selling a property the vendor of the property has to have a survey done called a ‘Constat de risqué d’exposition au plomb – CREP’ and it cannot have been done earlier than one year from the sale completion. This survey is carried out by an professional technician and if lead is found the technician has to inform the Prefecture that a high level of lead has been found. More than 1mg/cm3 is officially classed as a risk. This report only relates to surfaces and paintwork that are hazardous and does not deal with pipes or other hidden material that could also be high risk. The vendor is not required to have a report or an investigation into whether there is lead piping in the property. There are three main things that the technician looks for: the presence of lead, the concentration of lead and the accessibility of lead. If the report is negative and no lead is found in the property then there is no need for a further survey on any subsequent sale. Equally if it is only a small amount that poses no risk to health (1mg per sqm is the legal limit) then that is also ok. The report is only valid, however, for one year if lead has been found in the property.

Where do you find lead?

Generally lead is found in the paintwork of older buildings built pre-1949. It is particularly dangerous when the paint is cracked, flaking off the wall and in a general poor state of repair so that it is exposed to human contact. Many owners think that it is alright if the paint has been re-covered and painted over with new emulsion but this is not the case. If the old layers of paint have not been stripped then traces of lead can often remain, particularly in the plasterwork. Children can also get lead poisoning from lead dust so it is important to make sure your house is regularly dusted in areas where lead dust could accumulate. It is also essential that you do not try to sand off old paint work without taking the necessary safety precautions to reduce the risk of contamination.

What are the problems with lead?

Lead is dangerous because it causes lead poisoning if found in high quantities. It is particularly hazardous to young children as lead poisoning interferes with the development of the nervous system. There is little cause for alarm or panic though, as lead is extremely common in old houses and often only exists in non-hazardous quantities. It is only really a problem if the lead is interfered with, inhaled, or come into frequent contact with when it is in a deteriorated state. It is just safer if there are high levels of lead to remove the potential risk and deal with it securely, and so long as this is done, the property will be safe.

Treatment for lead

If high levels of lead are found in the property there are several ways to deal with it. Most of the time, you do not have to go to extreme measures to get rid of it. It is generally a matter of protecting yourself or those working in the house:
• Professional stripping of paintwork. Don’t try and strip and sand lead based paintwork if you don’t really know what you’re doing or don’t have the necessary safety equipment. Inappropriate preparation and uncontrolled removal of deteriorating lead surfaces can lead to contamination as it creates an additional source of dust and fumes.
• Paint over the affected area with approved encapsulants, which are acrylic coatings that create a barrier over the lead paint. This cover prolongs the future degradation of the paintwork and stops the lead dust from dispersing. If your paintwork is kept in good condition then it shouldn’t pose a threat.

So, although the issue of lead in old properties has often been something of a worry to many home owners and investors, in reality it is only a problem if it is not managed correctly. When buying a property in a high risk lead zone then you just have to make sure the vendor has the report proving the problem has been addressed. If there is lead in a property that needs to be dealt with, then the first port of call is professional help, and besides that, use common sense to ensure that no lead dust is inhaled, ingested, or disturbed unnecessarily.