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Fact check: Lead paint was banned over child safety concerns, not radiation conspiracy

Sudiksha Kochi   | Paste BN

The claim: Lead paint was banned because of how well it absorbs radiation

The Consumer Product Safety Commission banned residential uses of lead-based paint in 1978 because of health concerns. 

Social media users, however, are claiming that ban was actually a conspiracy to stop houses from blocking radiation.

"Lead paint was banned, not because children were eating paint chips, but rather how well it absorbed RF/EMF radiation," reads text of a Facebook post shared Nov. 22. "Why do you think you wear a lead vest whilst getting X-Rayed? 

The post is a screenshot of a tweet from @PaulsCorner21, an account that regularly posts conspiracy theories.

RF refers to "radio frequency," which is emmited by devices such as mobile phones, television and Bluetooth, according to the American Cancer Society. EMF refers to "electromagnetic fields," which are a combination of electric and magnetic fields generated by electromagnetic radiation, including gamma rays.

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The post goes on to say lead paint is being removed to "make their silent weapons more effective against us."

The post generated close to 600 likes in less than a week. Several social media users shared similar versions of this post.

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But the claim is nonsense.

Lead paint was banned due to concerns over children's health safety, experts told Paste BN. And in any case, lead paint wouldn't offer protection against anything but the weakest of radiation exposures.

Paste BN reached out to Facebook users who shared the post for comment. The Twitter user who originally made this claim could not be reached.

Lead paint banned for health reasons

Patty David, spokesperson for the consumer protection agency, told Paste BN the claim that lead paint was banned due to radiation is baseless.

"The history of control of lead-based paint and other lead hazards is clear," Davis told Paste BN. "The health effects of lead in people, especially young children, are well known and, therefore, exposure to lead must be prevented as much as is practicable."

Lead paint was banned for internal wall covering in 1978 because of concerns about children being poisoned, not radiation, according to David Rosner, professor of sociomedical science at Columbia University.

"There had been enormous attention to childhood lead poisoning for nearly 80 years by that point," Rosner told Paste BN via email. Various groups, including lead researchers and state government officials, raised concerns.

Tim Carroll, spokesperson for the EPA, told Paste BN via email there were concerns children could ingest paint chips or inhale lead dust. Young children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can severely affect mental and physical development.

The lead industry fought "bans, restrictions, even warnings on paint-can labels" marking the dangers of the product since the 1920s, according to an article from The Atlantic that was co-authored by Rosner. 

Through efforts from lobbyists, public health officials and various local health departments, local governments started to ban the product in the 1950s, according to the Atlantic article.

The federal government banned lead paint in public housing in 1971. In 1978, they banned the use of lead "in virtually any paint intended for sale to consumers," according to The Atlantic.

Today, lead can still be found in houses built before 1978, according to Carroll.

Lead-based paint is still used for steel structures, including bridges and railways, "since it inhibits the rusting and corrosion of iron and steel," Carroll said.

Lead shields against radiation

Lead can provide protection from harmful radiation, including gamma rays and X-rays, according to the EPA. 

"Lead sheeting, for instance, is often used in the walls of X-ray rooms, and lead aprons and vests are used as shielding for many medical procedures," Carroll said.

Lead paint, however, is a different case. It does not contain enough lead to shield against gamma rays, X-rays, EMF or RF radiation.

The layer of lead in a coat of paint only blocks against the weakest and least dangerous radiation exposure, Rosner said. 

"It’s idiocy to think lead paint has any 'benefits' as protection from radiation," Rosner said. "It is not a healthful product in any situation."

Carroll confirmed that lead paint should not be used for any type of radiation shielding, as it can be harmful to a person's health.

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Joseph Ford, an electrical engineering professor at the University of California, San Diego, confirmed that lead paint does not block against hard radiation exposures.

"A thin layer of lead in paint would not offer any protection against hard radiation like gamma rays – far higher energy than the usual electromagnetic spectrum of visible light and RF communications," Ford told Paste BN via email. 

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Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that lead paint was banned because of how well it absorbs radiation. Lead paint was banned due to concerns over children's health safety. The among of lead in paint makes useless against all but the weakest types of radiation, experts say.

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