Lead Safe Renovation is EASY!

Fugitive dust is an air quality term used to describe an emission which does not pass through a stack. At the smelter in Trail, this is dust that escapes the smelter site from stockpiles, open handling of materials, buildings and vehicle traffic. Fugitive dust is not stack emissions. Fugitive dust is a source of lead (Pb) in airborne dust. 

Teck Trail Operations manages fugitive dust at the smelter mainly by investing in initiatives to reduce fugitive dust on roads, in open mix areas, and in buildings. Some examples include improved road cleaning and dust suppressant, installing a windfence as well as wheel washes. They also focus on monitoring and real-time behaviour changes within the operation. See additional FAQ for more on fugitive dust reduction efforts. 

Dust particles present in smelter emissions contain lead (Pb). Dust particles in the air that contain Pb is referred to as ‘lead in airborne dust’. This lead in airborne dust may travel from the smelter site and settle in the community as part of the dust and soil. In Trail, lead in airborne dust originating at the smelter site can come from fugitive dust emissions (e.g. stockpiles, open handling of materials, buildings and vehicle traffic) and stack emissions. Bare soils, deteriorating older paint, and other industries in the community can also add to Pb in airborne dust.  

THEP uses the term ‘lead in paint’ when any level of lead is detected in paint.  This is because paint with lower lead levels than ‘lead-based paint’ can still be a risk to children when in poor condition such as peeling, flaking or chipping.   

THEP’s intent is to use the most stringent regulations available.  There is currently no known safe level of lead exposure.

The term ‘lead-based paint’ generally refers to paint produced before 1960 that contained higher levels of lead than newer paint.   Lead-based paint is defined in the US as paint containing more than 5000 parts per million (ppm) or 1 mg/cm2 of lead.      

In June 2024, THEP shifted its paint reporting reference point from the US Environmental Protection Agency lead-based paint standard to Canada’s Surface Coating Materials regulation^[1] for lead in paint. 

^[1] Surface Coating Materials Regulation, SOR/2016-193, Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. 2022-12-19.

Since 2010, paint sold in Canada containing more than 0.009% (90 ppm) lead must be labeled to indicate that it is not safe to use in areas accessible to children or pregnant women. When painting your home, make sure that the paint you use is lead-free.

THEP uses the term ‘lead in paint’ when any level of lead is detected in paint.  This is because paint with lower lead levels than ‘lead-based paint’ can still be a risk to children or pregnant women when in poor condition such as peeling, flaking or chipping.   

Lead in paint is in many pre-1990 homes in many communities. Lead in paint is only a risk when the paint is chipping, flaking, crushed or sanded into dust.

THEP provides information and education to property owners and families about lead in paint, in and around the home environment, with the goal to reduce children’s potential exposure.

Homeowners are responsible for managing identified sources of lead in paint if they choose to.

THEP support is via education (Visit thep.ca to view ‘how-to’ videos on removing exterior paint and keeping dust down while renovating). THEP also can provide lead-safe renovation supplies to keep the dust down while renovating.

If you are concerned that you or someone else in your home has been exposed to lead dust from renovations, talk to your family doctor for advice about potential exposure concerns.   HealthLink BC has information on lead based paint that we can email (or print and mail) to you if that is helpful.   For support in dispute resolution with your landlord, please contact the Residential Tenancy Board at: Residential Tenancies – Province of British Columbia  or toll free: 1-800-665-8779.  

THEP works with the community to provide information and education about lead in paint to reduce children’s potential exposure to lead. The program does not include removing lead in paint from homes.   The program does provide lead-safe renovation supplies for DIY renovations in the Trail area. We’ve put together videos you can use to learn more about safely removing paint containing lead from your home. Visit thep.ca for videos.

THEP is conducting paint testing on all properties identified for soil management in priority order. Properties that have received soil management in previous years should contact the community program office to be added to the list of properties to be tested.

Exterior paint on homes older than 1990 may contain lead. Sometimes leaving lead in paint alone is safer than removing it, as long as it is not chipping or within the reach of children. THEP’s soil assessment includes exterior paint testing for lead as of May 2023. Due to the high volume of requests, properties will be addressed in priority order.   If the paint is chipping or peeling, visit the Government of Canada’s home safety page for more resources.

Please contact the McKelvey Creek Landfill (250) 364-9834 to inquire about disposing of paint containing lead.

If you must remove paint containing lead from your walls, this Government of Canada resource provides suggestions to be lead-safe. THEP also has DIY videos to reduce dust during renovations and they are accessed at thep.ca > Resources > Videos.

Sometimes it’s safest to leave paint undisturbed as long as it’s in good condition.

Paint that is peeling, flaking, chipping or regularly disturbed through normal wear-and-tear, such as paint on doors, windows, stairs, and railings, can expose you and your children to lead.

Whenever you disturb surfaces with lead in paint, you risk creating hazardous lead dust even if the old paint is covered with new paint. To reduce the chance of exposure to lead in paint, surfaces can be covered with new paint, vinyl wallpaper, wallboard, or paneling.

If you decide to remove paint you should follow lead-safe guidelines or hire an expert to do the job. To learn about lead-safe practices, view the ‘how-to’ videos in the resource section at thep.ca.

To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no requirement in B.C. or Canada to disclose paint testing results. However, situations where you may want to disclose paint testing results include:

• to tenants if the home is rented
• to buyers if the home is sold
• when disposing of materials containing lead-based paint

Families and caregivers of young children in pre-1990 homes should have paint tested to find out if there is a risk of lead exposure from paint in their home. There is currently no known safe level of lead exposure.

• Lead in paint can be a serious health hazard when it’s peeling, flaking, chipping, or within reach of children who may chew on it.
• Infants, children and pregnant women are at higher risk. Toddlers and children can ingest lead because of their frequent hand-to-mouth activity and tendency to mouth or chew objects. Children absorb and retain more lead into their bodies compared to adults. For pregnant women, even low levels of lead can affect the growth of the developing baby.

Home built before 1990 may have lead in paint. Paint that is peeling, flaking, chipping or painted surfaces disturbed through normal wear-and-tear such as doors, windows, stairs and railings, can expose you and your children to lead.

To reduce the risk of lead exposure for young children, THEP has added paint testing to existing services such as soil assessments and in-home visits for expectant families and families with children under three.

• Generally pregnant women and newborns are at low risk of adverse health effects from lead (Pb) exposure in typical every-day community situations. We strongly advise pregnant women and children avoid being exposed to dust from home renovation as this could result in higher than typical lead (Pb) exposure. This includes exposure to fine particles of lead paint in homes (this applies to any community). Please see our Lead-safe Renovation rack card for details.
• A mother’s blood lead level affects the blood lead level of the fetus during pregnancy and is only a concern in situations where the mother has experienced higher than usual exposure, such as work exposure, home renovations, or living in parts of the world where lead exposure may be high. If a woman is pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, in a higher exposure risk situation, she should be tested by her physician or, if the timing is convenient, at one of THEP’s blood lead testing clinics. Please contact THEP’s Public Health Nurse at 250-364-6223.
• If you work in an industry that has potential lead exposure, talk to your employer about blood lead monitoring and the potential for alternative work.
• A pregnant woman who is exposed to lead can pass it to her baby. Lead can also be passed to a baby through the mother’s breast milk.

A roofing contractor showed us how he leans plywood against the side of a house or fence with a tarp underneath on the ground. This acts as sheeting when the old shingles are pulled off and it protects the house, keeps the dust contained, and can be easily vacuumed or hosed off at the end of the project and re-used.

A suggestion from a Trail Area Lead Safe Contractor is to use a shop vac with a long hose to get all the dust and debris out of the gutters, preventing clogged downspouts and keeping dust down.

Homes older than 1990 may contain lead in paint, and homes older than 1960 are likely to contain lead in paint.

If you want to test your paint, there are simple test kits that can be purchased at your local hardware store, or you can send a paint chip to a certified lab for analysis.

To reduce the risk of lead exposure for young children, THEP has added paint testing to existing services such as soil testing and in-home visits for expectant families and families with children under three.

Check out the Contractor section on this website. For more information, or to become a Trail Area Lead Safe Contractor, please contact the Community Program Office at 1319 Bay Avenue or 250.368.3256.

Please contact the Community Program Office at 1319 Bay Avenue or 250.368.3256 for information on the Lead Safe Renovation Program supports and information available to you.  

The Lead Safe Renovation Program applies to all pre-1990 homes anywhere in the Lower Columbia.

Resources are also available online.

Dust that settles in and around homes in the Trail area may contain lead as a result of air emissions (mainly historical) from the smelter. Lead dust may also come from older, chipping indoor and outdoor paint. If a young child puts their hands in their mouth, they may unintentionally ingest lead from dust on their hands. Keeping dust down inside and outside the home, especially in drier months, is one way to reduce potential ingestion by children.

The amount of lead (Pb) in outdoor air in Trail is measured at two locations, Butler Park and Birchbank. Data from Butler Park, a park in the heart of the community and closest to the smelter, is shown in Figure 1 indicated by the blue line. 

At this time, Federal and BC Provincial governments do not have ambient air quality objectives or standards for Pb; however, it is reasonable to rely on standards from other jurisdictions when this is the case. The green dashed line in Figure 1 indicates 0.15 μg/m3 on a 3-month average (US EPA standard). The Butler Park monitoring station has met the US EPA standard since 2020. 

Summary reports are provided at the bi-monthly public Trail Area Health & Environment Committee (THEC) meetings. Meeting minutes include the air quality reports and are available online.

There is no known safe level of Pb exposure. The Trail Area Health & Environment Committee (THEC) has a goal of continuous reduction of Pb in the community and the partners focus on efforts to achieve this. 

One trick we’ve learned is to rub dish soap around the seal and turn on the vacuum. If you see bubbles, there’s a leak. Consider fixing the seal with Vaseline or something similar. If that doesn’t work, you may need a new part, a new vacuum, or maybe you’ll find a new fix and have a new tip for us. If you are buying a new vacuum, buy a HEPA shop vac to really keep dust down!