Abstract
Lead paint has been used extensively in the railroad industry, as in all industries, to protect steel structures. As those structures are repainted to remove the lead paint, the spent residues are often hazardous for heavy metals, requiring expensive hauling, handling and disposal costs. Recent OSHA regulations on permissible lead in the air inside containments have caused additional costs for protection of the workers as well as the environment. Industry continues to pursue safe, cost effective methods of lead removal. The authors have developed an abrasive additive that can be added to most abrasives. The additive renders heavy metal waste non-hazardous under TCLP and also reduces the lead in the air generated during blasting. The spent residues qualify for solid waste landfilling, beneficial reuse into concrete products, or as feedstock for cement kilns. Federal government testing indicates that the additive does not "mask" the TCLP test, but creates a residue capable of passing EPA long term stability testing simulating over 1000 years in a landfill.
Surface conditions after blasting with the additive/abrasive blend appear to be amenable to virtually all industrial maintenance coating systems. The additive technology is being used on an estimated 15% of all steel lead abatement projects, and generates disposal cost savings in excess of 50%.
