10 DANGEROUS Things in Every 1970s Home. All Would Fail Today

10 dangerous things in every 1970s home that would fail a home inspection today: asbestos popcorn ceilings, lead paint, lead solder, unvented gas heaters, aluminum wiring, plate glass patio doors, formaldehyde paneling, open staircases, ungrounded bathroom outlets, and the smoke alarm that wasn't there. Every one was legal. Every one was standard. And not one rule ever required anyone to take them out. 63 million American homes were built before 1980, and most of this is still in them. #1970s #nostalgia #homeinspection #asbestos #leadpaint #growingupunseen SOURCES 1. Asbestos ceilings — EPA banned spray-applied asbestos for fireproofing and insulating in 1973 and remaining spray-applied surfacing in 1978; EPA guidance says material in good condition should be left alone. https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/us-federal-bans-asbestos https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/protect-your-family-exposures-asbestos 2. Patio and shower glass — CPSC safety standard for architectural glazing, 16 CFR Part 1201, effective July 6, 1977 (injury figures in the standard's findings). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-B/part-1201 3. Foam insulation — CPSC banned urea-formaldehyde foam insulation in 1982 after more than 2,200 complaints; the Fifth Circuit vacated the ban in 1983 (Gulf South Insulation v. CPSC, 701 F.2d 1137). https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1982/CPSC-Bans-Urea-Formaldehyde-Foam-Insulation-UFFI https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/701/1137/444299/ 4. Paneling and cabinets — no federal formaldehyde emission limit for composite wood in site-built homes until EPA's TSCA Title VI rule (compliance 2018); HUD's 1984/85 standard covered manufactured homes only. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/12/2016-27987/formaldehyde-emission-standards-for-composite-wood-products https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/03/22/2019-05174/streamlining-and-aligning-formaldehyde-emission-control-standards-for-certain-wood-products-in 5. Unvented gas heaters — CPSC proposed a ban in 1978 (7 to 10 million in use), adopted an oxygen-sensor standard in 1980 (about 70 CO deaths a year), and revoked it in 1984. Never banned. https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1978/Commission-Proposes-Ban-On-Unvented-Gas-Space-Heaters https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1980/Commission-Approves-Mandatory-Standard-To-Improve-Safety-Of-Unvented-Gas-Space-Heaters https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1984/CPSC-Revokes-Its-Mandatory-Standard-For-Unvented-Gas-Fired-Space-Heaters 6. Bathroom outlets — GFCI requirements in the National Electrical Code: outdoors 1970s, bathrooms 1975, garages 1978, kitchens 1987 (CPSC fact sheet); full NEC edition history (IAEI). https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/099_0.pdf https://iaeimagazine.org/issue/2024-summer/the-history-of-gfci-protection-in-the-nec/ 7. Electrocutions — about 600 consumer-product electrocution deaths a year in the 1970s (CPSC); about 100 a year in 2018–2020 (CPSC). https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2002/National-Electrical-Safety-Month-CPSC-Alerts-Consumers-To-Electrocution-Hazards-From-Overhead-Power-Lines https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Electrocutions-2011-to-2020.pdf 8. Staircases — the 4-inch sphere rule for guard openings, CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1992 edition, Section R-214.2. https://law.resource.org/pub/us/cfr/ibr/003/cabo.dwelling.1993.pdf 9. Falls — stairs, ramps, landings and floors: about 2.6 million emergency-room injuries, 24% of product-related injuries; falls are the leading cause of product-related death, concentrated over age 65 (CPSC). https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/ConsumerProductRelatedInjuriesandDeathsintheUnitedStates.pdf 10. Lead paint — CPSC ban, 16 CFR Part 1303, effective February 27, 1978, limit 0.06% lead. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-B/part-1303 11. Blood lead — mean blood lead in US children aged 1 to 5 was 15.2 µg/dL in 1976–1980 and 0.83 µg/dL in 2011–2016 (CDC MMWR). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7043a4.htm 12. Which homes have lead paint — 24% of homes built 1960–1978; 87% of homes built before 1940 (EPA / HUD American Healthy Homes Survey). https://www.epa.gov/lead/how-can-i-tell-if-my-home-contains-lead-based-paint https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr-edge-trending-030822.html 13. Lead solder — Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986 (EPA lead-free plumbing page). https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/use-lead-free-pipes-fittings-fixtures-solder-and-flux-drinking-water 14. Aluminum wiring — connections 55 times more likely to reach fire-hazard conditions (CPSC Publication 516); about 2 million homes wired 1965–1973 (CPSC). https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/516.pdf https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2003/May-Is-National-Electrical-Safety-Month-Good-News-for-Homeowners-Aluminum-Wiring-Fix-Still-Available