Home owners should familiarize themselves with this new law that was enacted on April 22. 2010. The Renovation, Repair, and Paint law was enacted with one purpose in mind, “Control Lead Dust Particles”. Many of us have heard of lead paint and the hazards which come from lead inhalation or digestion.
This new law in simplicity is about “Lead Dust Containment”. Home owners need not panic and assume that there home is full of lead paint and dust. First rule of thumb to determine if you are at risk, is to find out what year your home was constructed. In 1978 the federal government banned lead paint from use in new home construction or renovations. An easy way to find out if you don’t know what year your home was built is to check your city or town’s public records and they can provide you with lots of information about your property including the year your home was built.
Second thing to do is consider the fact that most home have been renovated at some point during the last 32 years and the lead paint around the doors and windows in your home may have already been removed. At most home centers today like Lowe’s or Home Depot, they have test kits readily available to check for lead paint and they are very simple to use.
The renovation and repair part of this law has to do with replacement of windows, front and rear doors, garage doors, any item that contains 21 square feet or more of lead paint. Confusion for most home owner’s arises when it is believed that the work being done by a door or window replacement company is “Lead Paint Abatement” this is not the case. Lead Paint Abatement is the complete removal of lead paint from an entire home. If your home had its lead paint abated previously, this new law does not apply.
The new law established by the EPA deals with regulating the removal of sections of walls, doors or windows which contain lead paint. If a home owner decides to have work done, say the replacement of an aging entry door and lead paint is detected at the work site, contractors are REQUIRED by law to establish a proper containment zone and filter the air with EPA approved vacuum devices, during the work to keep your home free of loose lead dust particles.
These are some known hazards and health risk found to be linked to lead paint and dust; for children under 6, lead poising is known to cause learning disabilities and hyper activity, for pregnant women, it can cause damage to the fetus, most adults exposed to high levels of lead will suffer from, high blood pressure, and extreme physical fatigue.
Please check out the EPA’s website, it’s loaded with information about this new law.
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm
Mike Donovan
President
miked@worcesterdoor.com
