Rid Your Space of Lead – It’s the Law

A new federal law that took effect this month (April 2010) requires any contractor that is doing work on a home, child care facility or school that was built prior to 1978 must now be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.

When renovations or repairs are done in facilities where children are the primary occupants, the lead will be disturbed and could be transferred in dust to the inhabitants. Sanding, scraping, or even the burning of wood covered in lead based paint can lead to exposure. Lead-based paint was used in 87% of facilities built prior to 1940 and 69% of facilities built between 1940 and 1960. Between 1960 and 1978, only 24% of facilities built used lead based paint.

When the work begins, the contractor is required to seal off the area being worked on. No occupants or pets are allowed to have access to the area until all the work is complete. The forced air and air conditioning systems must be turned off because they can spread the lead contaminated dust throughout the facility.

To minimize the lead dust it is recommended that water be used to mist areas before sanding or scraping . Before boards are pried up or other materials are separated, paint should be scored with a knife to minimize dust and paint chips. When all the work is complete, a vacuum with a HEPA filter is used to clean up the dust and debris and then all surfaces are completely washed down. The key to this will be the constant use of clean rinse water.

When creating a contract for this type of work, make sure that a lead-free test is part of the work included. An EPA recognized lead testing site will send a sampling kit to you. You can collect the samples and return the kit for analysis. Because the facility can fail the test and may need to be cleaned again, it is important to make the contractor responsible for any re-cleaning that may be necessary.

Lead can affect our children’s brains and developing nervous systems (especially those under the age of 6), causing reduced IQ, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Lead can also have negative affects on adults causing high blood pressure and hypertension.

Have you been involved in renovation work that involved lead paint? Does your home contain lead-based paint? If so, have you ever thought about replacing it?