Technology Assessment of Liquid Encapsulants for Lead-Based Paint Abatement

摘要

An evaluation of lead-based paint maintenance options was conducted based on realistic life-cycle cost assessments of the relative durabilities of encapsulants and conventional paint when employed using the same approaches. A record of field experiences of several military installations with cost and performance of encapsulants versus maintenance painting with standard specification paints was developed. It was found that, irrespective of initial paint condition, it is generally more cost-effective to control lead hazards by paint stabilization than by encapsulation on interior and dimensionally stable exterior substrates. Only in the case of exterior wood substrates were encapsulants found to be slightly more cost-effective than paint stabilization. However, this small cost advantage does not account for the potential risk of lead hazard control failure, a risk that is not yet well quantified for encapsulants since they are still relatively new to the market. Proper surface preparation is the primary cost driver for both encapsulation and paint stabilization, so for either technology to perform as intended, the surfaces to which they are applied must be properly prepared and all substrate damage must be repaired.