Release date: 03/31/2008
Contact Information: Timothy Lyons, (202) 564-4355 / lyons.timothy@epa.gov;
En espaņol: Lina Younes, (202) 564-4355 / younes.lina@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - March 31, 2008) To further protect
children from exposure to lead-based paint, EPA is issuing new rules for
contractors who renovate or repair housing, child-care facilities or schools
built before 1978. Under the new rules, workers must follow lead-safe work
practice standards to reduce potential exposure to dangerous levels of lead
during renovation and repair activities.
"While there has been a
dramatic decrease over the last two decades in the number of children affected
by lead-poisoning, EPA is continuing its efforts to take on this preventable
disease," said James Gulliford, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Prevention,
Pesticides and Toxic Substances. "Today's new rules will require contractors to
be trained and to follow simple but effective lead-safe work practices to
protect children from dangerous levels of lead."
The "Lead: Renovation,
Repair and Painting Program" rule, which will take effect in April 2010,
prohibits work practices creating lead hazards. Requirements under the rule
include implementing lead-safe work practices and certification and training for
paid contractors and maintenance professionals working in pre-1978 housing,
child-care facilities and schools. To foster adoption of the new measures, EPA
will also conduct an extensive education and outreach campaign to
promote awareness
of these new requirements.
The rule covers all rental housing and
non-rental homes where children under six and pregnant mothers reside. The new
requirements apply to renovation, repair or painting activities where more than
six square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where 20 square
feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior. The affected contractors
include builders, painters, plumbers and electricians. Trained contractors must
post warning signs, restrict occupants from work areas, contain work areas to
prevent dust and debris from spreading, conduct a thorough cleanup, and verify
that cleanup was effective.
Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many
years in paint and was banned for residential use in 1978. Exposure to lead can
result in health concerns for both children and adults. Children under six years
of age are most at risk because their developing nervous systems are especially
vulnerable to lead's effects and because they are more likely to ingest lead due
to their more frequent hand-to-mouth behavior. Almost 38 million homes in the
United States contain some lead-based paint, and today's new requirements are
key components of a comprehensive effort to eliminate childhood lead
poisoning.
For more information, including in
Spanish, on EPA's lead program, or to obtain copies of the rule and information
on how to comply, visit: epa.gov/lead
For copies of the educational brochures on this new program, call
1-800-424-LEAD [5323].