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Stripping Away Lead-based Paint In A Flash

Date:
December 11, 2006
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
A new paint stripper that combines the principles of a vacuum cleaner and a pulsed lamp shows promise as a much-needed new technology for removing dangerous lead-based paint from older housing, scientists in Massachusetts are reporting.
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A new paint stripper that combines the principles of a vacuum cleaner and a pulsed lamp shows promise as a much-needed new technology for removing dangerous lead-based paint from older housing, scientists in Massachusetts are reporting.

Michael J. Grapperhaus and Raymond B. Schaefer explain that existing lead abatement methods have drawbacks. Blasting and sanding, for instance, generate large amounts of toxic lead dust and may damage architectural surfaces, while chemical stripping may produce hazardous waste.

In the Dec. 15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, they describe results of early tests on a paint stripper that uses high-intensity flashes of light -- a million times more intense than sunlight -- to burn off layers of lead-based paint. The flashes do not damage the underlying surface. Remains of the paint are immediately vacuumed and routed into a filtering system.

Analysis of air samples during the experiments showed no dangerous levels of lead. "These tests show that broadband incoherent light pulses can be effective in removal of lead paint from architectural materials," the researchers report. With the concept for the new stripper proven on small samples of paint, they plan to move on to more extensive studies of the technology.


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Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "Stripping Away Lead-based Paint In A Flash." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 December 2006. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061211115243.htm>.
American Chemical Society. (2006, December 11). Stripping Away Lead-based Paint In A Flash. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 19, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061211115243.htm
American Chemical Society. "Stripping Away Lead-based Paint In A Flash." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061211115243.htm (accessed March 19, 2024).

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