Lead and Your Health - Part 2e - 12/11/2003 - Health Lead Poisoning

Lead and Your Health - Part 2 

Basic Questions about Testing Your Home For Lead In Paint, Dust, And Soil 

Why Should I Test My Home For Lead? There are numerous reasons why you might want to test your home for lead, especially if built before 1978. 

> I. There Are (Or Will Be) Children Age Six And Younger In The Home. Lead from paint, especially peeling or flaking paint, can get into dust and soil in and around a home. Young children may then swallow the lead during normal hand-to-mouth activity. In addition, an unborn child may be exposed to lead in the mother’s womb. High levels of lead in the fetus and in children age six and younger have been linked to nervous system damage, behavior and learning problems, and slow growth. Testing can tell you whether there is lead-based paint or a lead-based paint hazard in your home.  

> II. You Are About To Remodel, Renovate, Or Repaint Your Home. Any disturbance of lead-based paint can create a hazard by depositing lead chips or particles in the house dust or in the soil around the house. If you are planning on doing renovation, remodeling, or repainting, you should have testing done by a certified lead-based paint professional on any painted surfaces that will be removed, disturbed, scraped, or sanded before starting the work. If your house was built before 1978 and you hire a professional to renovate, the renovator MUST, before beginning renovation, give you a copy of the EPA pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home. 

> III. You Are Renting Or Buying A Home. The Federal Lead-Based Paint and Lead-Based Paint Hazards Disclosure Rule requires that the landlord or seller of a residential dwelling built prior to 1978 provide the renter or buyer with: 

>> The pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home and 
>> Any available information on lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards in the home. 
>> A buyer must be given the opportunity to conduct testing to determine whether lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards are present. While you are not required by law to test for lead, it may be advisable if you have (or plan to have) young children in the home. 

> IV. You Are A Landlord Or Selling A Home. As discussed above, a homeowner is required to provide renters or buyers with any available information on lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards in homes built before 1978. Testing will give you the information that may be requested by potential renters or buyers. 
 
Why Is Testing Recommended For Houses Built Before 1978? Federal regulations placed a limit on the amount of lead in paint sold for residential use starting in 1978. That is why homes built before 1978 are subject to the Disclosure Rule. The older the home, the greater the chance of lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards, and the more important it is to have the home tested. 
 
What Kind Of Testing Do I Want? Three different approaches for testing lead are available: a lead-based paint inspection, a risk assessment, and a lead hazard screen. A combination inspection and risk assessment may also be done. Selection of the approach depends on why you are testing. 

> I. Lead-Based Paint Inspection. A lead-based paint inspection is a surface-by-surface investigation to determine whether there is lead-based paint in the home and where it is located. An inspection may be particularly useful before renovation, repainting, or paint removal. An inspection includes: 
>> An inventory of all painted surfaces, including the outside as well as the inside of the home. ‘Painted surfaces’ include all surfaces coated with paint, shellac, varnish, stain, coating, or even paint covered by wallpaper. >> Selection and testing of each type of painted surface. 
>> Then you should get a report listing the painted surfaces in the home and whether each painted surface contains lead-based paint. 
>> An inspection does not typically test painted furniture unless it is a permanent part of the home, such as kitchen or bathroom cabinets or built-in bookshelves. Soil, dust, and water are not typically tested during an inspection. 
>> The presence of lead-based paint in a home does not necessarily mean there is a lead-based paint hazard to occupants. To make sure, you may want a different testing approach (either a risk assessment or hazard screen). 

 > II. Risk Assessment. A risk assessment is an on-site investigation to determine the presence, type, severity, and location of lead-based paint hazards. The presence of deteriorated lead-based paint or high levels of lead in dust or soil pose potential hazards to children who may ingest lead inside or playing outside. A risk assessment includes: 
>> A visual inspection of the residence to determine the location of deteriorated paint, the extent and causes of the deterioration, and other factors that may cause lead exposure to young children inside or outside the home. 
>> Testing deteriorated paint and paint on surfaces where there is reason to believe (from teeth marks or from reports of a parent) that a child has chewed, licked, or mouthed the paint. Painted surfaces in good condition are not tested. 
>> Testing household dust from floors and windows. Samples should include areas from a child’s bedroom, a child’s main play area, the main entrance, and other locations to be chosen by the certified Risk Assessor. >> Testing bare soil from play areas, the building foundation, and possibly other areas around the home. 
>> Optional water testing. 
>> Finally, you should get a report identifying the location of the types of lead-based paint hazards and ways to control them.

Because not all paint is tested, a risk assessment cannot conclude that there is no lead-based paint in the home. 

 An important point is that a risk assessment identifies current lead-based paint hazards. New hazards may arise if lead-based paint is disturbed, damaged, or deteriorates. 

If you want to know which painted sur­faces contain lead-based paint and whether any lead-based hazards are present, you will need a combination inspection and risk assessment. 
 
> III. Lead Hazard Screen. A lead hazard screen is a limited version of a risk assessment for houses with a low chance of lead risks. In a lead hazard screen: 
>> Any painted surfaces in a deteriorated condition are tested. 
>> Two sets of dust samples are collected in a lead hazard screen. One set repre­sents the floors and the other set repre­sents the windows. Typically, there is less dust sampling in a lead hazard screen than in a risk assessment. 
>> Usually soil samples are not collected in a lead hazard screen, with one exception. If there is evidence of paint chips in the soil from previous exterior repainting, then the soil should be sampled and tested. 
 
The outcome of the lead hazard screen is either a conclusion that lead-based paint hazards are probably not present or a rec­ommendation that a full risk assessment be conducted to determine if such hazards are present. In a lead hazard screen, only deteriorated paint is tested. Thus, a lead hazard screen can­not conclude there is no lead-based paint in the home. 
 
A lead hazard screen is only recommended for residences that are generally in good condi­tion, with little visible dust, and with paint in good condition (very little chipping or flaking). If not, the screen is likely to be a waste of time and money. In general, a lead hazard screen will be more useful in housing built after 1960. 
 
As with a risk assessment, a lead hazard screen identifies current lead-based paint hazards. If there is lead-based paint in the home, new hazards may arise if that paint is disturbed, damaged, or deteriorates. 
 
Who Can Do Lead Testing For Me? It is strongly recommended that testing be performed by a certified Inspector or certified Risk Assessor.  Certified Inspectors can perform only lead-based paint inspections. 

> Certified Risk Assessors can perform both risk assessments and lead hazard screens. 
> Your State may define the titles for lead-based paint professionals and the types of testing they can perform differently. You can find out by calling NLIC at 1-800-424-LEAD. 
 
What Will The Testing Report Tell Me? That will depend on which approach has been used: inspection, risk assessment, or lead hazard screen. Request a sample report before the testing is done so that you may see what information will be provided and how it will be presented. You should also request that actual lead values (not just ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ classifications) be provided in the report as evidence that the testing was actually done.  

> I. Inspection Report. If you have an inspection done, you should receive a report that tells you which painted surfaces were tested and the test results for each surface. An inspection report will not tell you the condition of the lead-based paint or whether lead-based paint hazards exist. 
 
> II. Risk Assessment Report. If you have a risk assessment done, you will receive a report that tells you whether there are any lead-based paint hazards and recommends ways to reduce or control any hazards present. 
 
The certified Risk Assessor will take into account the test results and the results of the visual inspection to decide if there are any lead-based paint hazards and how to control them. Lead-based paint hazards identified include lead-based paint in deteriorated condition or on surfaces mouthed by a child. In addition, house dust or bare soil with hazardous lead levels will be identified. 
 
The certified Risk Assessor will provide a list of options for controlling each hazard. Options may include both interim controls and abatement. There is no EPA requirement for you to do anything to any lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards found when testing your home. However, if your home was built before 1978, you will be required to provide the test results to any renter or buyer when you lease or sell the home. For more information on the responsibilities of sellers, landlords and their agents, contact NLIC at 1-800-424-LEAD or visit www.epa.gov/lead. 
 
Interim Controls – These are short-term or temporary actions. Examples include recommendations to repair deteriorated surfaces that contain lead-based paint, to clean house dust more frequently, or to plant grass or shrubs in areas with bare soil. · Abatement – These are long-term or permanent actions. Examples include replacing old windows, building a new wall over an existing one, or removing soil.  

The certified Risk Assessor will also identify the probable source of the paint deterioration and determine whether other repairs are warranted. For example, a water leak may need to be repaired to prevent further damage to the paint. 
 
> III. Hazard Screen Report. If you have a lead hazard screen done, the report tells you either that there are probably no lead-based paint hazards in the house or that full-scale risk assessment is needed. 
 
Do I Have To Do Anything After The Testing Is Completed? Be aware that there may be State or other requirements for action based on the test results. You can call NLIC at 1-800-424-LEAD for information about what is required in your locality before you start testing. 
 
May I Abate Lead-Based Paint Hazards In My Own Home? If you decide to abate lead-based paint hazards in your own home, it is not recommended that you do the work yourself. Abatement activities must be done following careful procedures to prevent contamination of the home with lead dust. To be safe, hire a certified lead-based paint contractor (a certified professional who can do lead-based paint related abatement). Dust samples should be collected to check the thoroughness of the work. 
 
Be aware that you must be certified yourself or you must hire a certified lead-based paint professional in the following cases: 1) if a child with a blood-lead level of 20 µg/dL (Pronounced micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood) or higher for a single venous test (or 15–19 µg/dL in two consecutive tests taken 3 to 4 months apart) lives in the house or 2) you own the house and rent it to someone else.  

If you hire a firm to do testing for lead-based paint hazards, note that you are not under any obligation to hire the same firm to do the abatement. In fact, it would be better to have one firm conduct all testing and another firm conduct the abatement work. That will prevent a conflict of interest. 
 
Be sure to maintain a record of the work to help during any future sale or rental of the home.