Lead Paint Testing and Mitigation in Pre-1978 Homes

Fine Homebuilding has developed a comprehensive web site, Lead Paint Remodeling Center, where they have aggregated all the information anyone needs to deal with the now in effect EPA Rules on how lead paint on and in pre-1978 homes must be handled.

There are links for homeowners and contractors, down-loadable pamphlets, videos. Just everything you need.

If you own a pre-1978 home in the US, and EVER plan to remodel it, I suggest you go to this site and look at the information on testing your home's painted surfaces to find out if they contain lead. If they do you will know what extra mitigation you are going to be subjected to in order to safely complete your remodeling plans within the law. If you find no lead, be sure to retain your testing data to show to any future contractors and future buyers, should you want to sell.

Most pre-1978 built homes do not have lead paint in them. So, chances are, the testing will be all you need to do.

Good luck with it,

Peggy

Fine Homebuilding has complete information on the EPA’s regulations and contractor certification at www.finehomebuilding.com/lead-safe, as well best practices for lead-safe remodeling that homeowners need to know.

NEWTOWN, CT (October 5, 2010)... Strict new rules from the EPA for lead-safe remodeling, enforced with steep fines for non-compliance, are going to significantly change the way remodeling contractors work. While contractors will be required to pass a certification course before proceeding with work on houses that contain lead paint, the new law is equally significant to homeowners. Fine Homebuilding magazine has created an easy-to-use Web site for contractors and the public that has complete start-to-finish information about lead-safe remodeling.

According to Brian Pontolilo, editor of Fine Homebuilding, “Lead paint has always been a concern for conscientious remodelers. Hopefully, the EPA’s new Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule will make homeowners and do-it-yourselfers equally aware of the potential dangers. Adopting lead-safe work habits significantly reduces the likelihood of lead poisoning for the home’s occupants, as well as for workers.”

He added, “Contractors will need to learn to comply with the new law while balancing the increased time, materials, and costs associated with it. Homeowners need to know what they’re getting into whether they’re hiring a remodeler to work on their home or beginning a do-it-yourself project where lead paint may be present. We have created a complete multimedia resource, at www.finehomebuilding.com/lead-safe, with easy-to-understand, accurate information about lead-paint safety and the new RRP rule.”

Fine Homebuilding’s lead-paint-safety Web site includes:
1. How-to video series: Lead-safe remodeling for interior and exterior jobs
2. Two special reports — the what, why, how of the new rule — that you can download
•Understanding the New Lead-Paint Regulations: A Guide for Contractors
•Understanding the New Lead-Paint Regulations: A Guide for Consumers
3. A “Compliance Kit” with downloadable checklists, forms, and pamphlets for homeowners
4. An article collection from Fine Homebuilding on lead-safe and dust-free remodeling strategies
5. A printable job-site warning sign that is required by the new rule
6. Podcast series (3) where we interview a remodeler who talks about tools, OSHA requirements, cost increases you didn’t expect, and obtaining liability insurance

The October/November 2010 issue of Fine Homebuilding, on sale at newsstands now, also contains an in-depth article on lead-safe remodeling.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that more than 250,000 American children under the age of 6 have elevated blood-lead levels. In a significant number of these cases, the elevated lead levels were caused by renovation work that disturbed paint surfaces in older homes. The EPA projects that 1.4 million children under the age of 6 live in homes that are renovated each year. It’s estimated that lead-based paint was used in nearly 40 million American homes before it was banned in 1978. In homes built before 1978, for any renovation that includes disturbing painted surfaces (and most do) the new EPA rules apply.