Best close the lid on john or you'll have a clogged toilet to contend with. josh

You don't need a HEPA vacuum cleaner; only a HEPA filter bag. These are available for Shopvac and Sears vacuums and no doubt others. I would stand by what I wrote before about not using water based products for the clean up. When you rehydrate plaster dust some dissolves into a solution that seeps into porous surfaces like wood. Once it dries, it's impossible to remove from the pores in the wood. Water is also never a good option for wood floors. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, then vacuum some more. A mop just barely dampened with an oil or solvent based cleaner can be a final step. There are relatively inexpensive lead test kits on the market. Many plaster walls from the 20's were designed to be wallpapered - no real finish plaster coat - and were never painted so there may be no lead involvement in the plaster at all. Check. It is far more likely that woodwork and other painted surfaces harbor lead. The procedures here will differ.(Encapsulation is often a better choice than scraping or sanding). You've already torn down the plaster and lathing, so clean up of that is your present priority.

Hi. Yes, these plants are all susceptible to a high PH, perhaps buy a cheap kit and check, the presence of a high soda (High PH) soil is commonly not an instant death to many of the species you mention, unless it is extremely high, though they will be unhealthy and slowly degrade till they become susceptible to disease or insect attack, as PH rises (becomes more alkaline) you will notice a yellowing of the leaves, normally from the edges of the leaves and then moving inward over time, this effect is known as "Lime Chlorosis" I have seen a Isopogon growing in the middle of a fire trail with a blob of concrete that had been dropped on it and set there, the plant was stunted and yellow ... but was not dead and survived, I would wonder if a "Native Garden Hater" had not "Glopho'd" your garden? however, dust from gyprock is severely Soda and I would imagine could kill plants quickly, but as we have had so much rain (I do not know where you are from) I would think the dust would have been washed through evenly and a slow degeneration of health would be noticed, not sudden death, perhaps you have a fungal problem, perhaps Phytophora, check your gardens soils ability to drain, pull a a dead plant and see if the roots are black, especially around the point where the soil covered the roots/stock of the plant, the addition of iron, in chelate form initially, but it's effects are short term and you will need to keep applying it at rates to apprehend the problem if it is a PH related one, there are other forms of iron that last longer, but chelated iron works quickly, Lime locks up nutrients, and many Aus natives are not adapted to extracting nutrients in such a condition. Good Luck.

We got this one http://m.homedepot.com/p/3M-Mold-and-Lead-Particle-Respirator-in-Medium-1-Each-per-Pack-6297PA1-A/202078789 Taking precautions as much as we can. Wearing both breathing and eye protection. One thing the OH didn't do when he started was put up plastic sheets to limit where the dust spread. Now it's on both the first and second floor. :-( But, ceilings on the first floor will be coming down too so not too much of a biggie. Now, can lime plaster go in the regular trash pickup? Don't think its go to recycling. Or should I contact the nearest dump/transfer station? I have a follow-up question about building code requirements when you open up walls. Going to start a new thread on that.