Maintenance of steel structures often produces abrasive wastes that are considered toxic and hazardous due to the lead content of the old paint system present in spent abrasives. Environmental regulations in the US and Canada effectively preclude on-site treatment and disposal of these wastes, thereby forcing them into costly transport and secure disposal options. The authors have developed an abrasive additive that allows dry or wet blasting to remove old paint systems, but the resultant wastes are considered non- hazardous and are eligible for recycling or non-hazardous waste disposal, both at sharply reduced costs. The agent does not "mask" environmental test results, but does produce a stable residue suitable for long term disposal or reuse. Surface conditions after application of abrasives appear to be amenable to virtually all paint systems tested. The process is in use on an estimated 10% of all steel based lead paint abatement projects in the US, and is experiencing considerable growth in market acceptance. The technology may allow disposal cost reductions in excess of 50%.

Subject
Costs, Test methods, Lead paints, Materials, Additives, Silicates, Abrasives, Iron, Lead, Steel, Wastes, Paints, Coating systems
Keywords:
Blastoxtm, lead, lead paint, hazardous waste minimization, abrasive additives
© 1994 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1994
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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