Could The Drilling / Exposure To Dust Cause Brain Damage Or Sickness?

Posted on Sun, 18 Oct 2020

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 18 Oct 2020 Answered on

Fri, 30 May 2025 Last reviewed on

Question : I live in an apartment that may have lead paint (it is an older apartment, but has been repainted a lot). I drilled into the wall to hang shelves and inhaled some dust. When I cleaned the dust up with a dust pan, some of it flew around. Could the drilling / exposure to dust cause brain damage or sickness?

Answered by Dr. Olgeta Xhufka (58 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Not at risk with this exposure only.

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear,
You should have used a wet mop to clean the dust in floor and a damped cloth to clean dust on other surfaces of furniture.
The drilling exposure only can not cause brain damage or sickness but a constant exposure to dust contaminated with lead - based paint may lead to lead-poisoning.
Brain damage is more common in children causing development delay , irritability, learning difficulties while adults as you may experience headache,high blood pressure, abdominal pain, mood disorders etc.
So as a conclusion you are not at risk of lead poisoning only by this exposure but you should avoid further exposure.

Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana