Posts Tagged ‘Environmental Health’

Federal Lead Paint Laws Tough on Contractors

Federal regulations designed to eliminate childhood lead poisoning go into effect this month. The change brings strict new requirements for building contractors, property owners, renovators and a host of others who work with lead paint.

The new law applies to replacing any window. (Photo by Nancy Eve Cohen)

While health advocates call the regulations long overdue, some contractors say the cost to comply is way too high. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports.

At the New Hampshire Homebuilders Association, contractors are spreading large sheets of plastic over the floor.

“Let’s get our plastic over here. How far up on this wall are we going to lay our tape or our plastic?”

That’s New Hampshire state lead inspector Charles Hillsgrove.  He’s explaining to contractors how to lay protective sheets down during renovation jobs.  Hillsgrove is one of the instructors for a lead paint certification course for contractors.

“What we’re trying to teach them is how to contain their workspace so that no dust gets on the floor in people’s homes, how do you keep the dust in this one room.”

It’s lead dust that poisons most children. In New Hampshire 150 children each year are poisoned by lead, a third of them following a home renovation. In Massachusetts more than 800 children are poisoned every year and in New York  it’s as high as 1500 children.

Kate Kirkwood, who teaches lead certification courses, made that point clear to contractors in a recent class in New Hampshire.

“If we know that the dust we make is toxic, and we’re not trained to do what we should do with it to clean it up afterwards, we walk away, and kids get sick.”

Under the new law, the Environmental Protection Agency will require contractors to take precautions and get certified or potentially face a fine of up to $37,500 per occurrence per day. That may sound steep, but James Bryson, with EPA New England, says the costs are not excessive.

“If you’re not doing this, you’re not protecting your work area, then you could have a child that could be lead poisoned and that’s something we don’t want, no cost is too high for that.”

The law applies to anyone who accepts payment for work in buildings constructed before 1978, the year when lead paint was banned. It applies to any job that disturbs more than six square feet of space, and includes any window replacement.
The EPA estimates that 236,000 renovators nationwide need to get training. But Kirkwood says it’s likely many more. And she says there aren’t enough trainers.

“Last time I checked there were fewet than 100 trainers nationwide. In the state of Maine, they told me they thought there were 16,000 contractors that needed to be trained, and we’ve trained about 600 so far.”

Charles Freiberger, makes homes handicap accessible in New Hampshire. He says he found out about the new certification requirements by chance recently at a home show.

“Most contractors have no clue, I’ll bet probably between 80 and 90% of contractors aren’t even aware of this rule.” But the lack of awareness isn’t the main problem for contractors. It’s the cost.

Companies or individuals who do work have to pay a $300 registration fee with the EPA, on top of taking a $200 certification course. Then there are added costs for protective plastics and vacuums.

Len Perkins with C.P. Property Restorers in New Hampshire says it’s a good rule, but comes at the wrong time. And he says the fines for not complying could put a small company out of business.

“We’re looking at an economy right now with a saturation of contractors. The government is not realizing what these costs and expenses are going to do to a populace that’s already suffering heavily because of the present economy.”

States have the option of enforcing the new regulations on contractors for the EPA and make them even stricter. So far, no states in the Northeast have taken that on.

Read more on WNPR Connecticut Public Radio

Lead Poisoning Threatens Pregnant Women

The dangers of lead paint and lead poisoning include a broad range of mental disorders and chronic disabilities. But lead paint and lead poisoning is especially dangerous for women, who run the risk of passing dangerous lead exposure on to developing fetuses while pregnant. Here are some ways that women can experience a safe pregnancy free from the effects of lead poisoning:
Clean Up!
Cleanliness is next to godliness…and can help pregnant women escape the dangers of toxic lead exposure. Pregnant women should clean the house when they see the presence of chipping paint or dust – both of which can contain lead particles. Cover chipping paint in your home with duct tape, plastic or contact paper, and vacuum dust whenever possible. A wet cloth will help wash down painted and dusty surfaces, protecting you from lead particles and their potential dangers to you and your fetus.

Hand-washing, while common-sense, is not practiced enough, so be sure to wash up after interacting with soil, which might contain lead toxins, and before preparing food or eating. Wear garden gloves and wash up after dusting or mopping to prevent cross-contamination with your food or water.
Craft With Care
Ceramic and other pottery may have its appeal, but with lead paint posing a very real threat to your fetus, it may be a good idea to avoid ceramic crafts until after your pregnancy. If you must interact with lead-containing pottery or paint during your pregnancy, be sure to wash your hands well afterwards and wear protective clothing. Solder is a bad idea while pregnant, so hand the soldering iron off to another crafty woman during your pregnancy. Change your clothing after working with lead-filled crafts materials and be sure to wash them away from other family members’ garments.
Take Care At Work
Occupational exposure to lead is dangerous for men and women, but pregnant women run the additional risk of lead contamination to their unborn children. If you work with soldering irons, welding materials, lead-based paint, common construction site chemicals and items, or work in a factory setting, you may be putting your fetus at risk. Ask your employer about a transfer to a lower-risk area of the factory, and be sure to wash hands often. Put your work clothing in a separate hamper and wash it separately from other family’s garments. Keep lead-exposed shoes outside of the house and be sure to vacuum well if they go into the house. Educate yourself about the hazards of lead exposure and be certain to talk to your doctor about how your prenatal care can reflect your concern about lead poisoning and lead exposure.
Seek Legal Advice for Exposure
If you have been exposed to lead paint or other lead at work or at home, consult a doctor and then a lawyer. An experienced lead poisoning attorney can help you recover money for the injury, pain and suffering caused by toxic lead paint exposure that affects the health of you and your baby.

Look Out for Lead and Asbestos – Helpful Pointers in Renovating Older Homes

There are definitely countless possibilities when it comes to home improvement and investments. There are several steps to observe in order to make a sound and profitable venture in the world of real estate. For home owners who prefer to have older homes, checking the property for presence of lead and asbestos is a must. This is vitally important in cases of remodeling and upgrading your house. Your objective is not only for the overall result and value of your home project. Lead and asbestos have significant effects in terms of your health and wellness, thus make sure you are in the right track when dealing with these materials.

Homes and properties constructed 30 years ago and older are generally made with lead and asbestos components. This is because these items are widely used and popular in the real estate industry due to its durable features and relevance. However, the succeeding years witnessed the debilitating effects of these materials that led to its ban and termination. Although these materials are no longer used, there are definitely still a greater number of houses that have these components in their foundations.

Lead for instance gives a threatening effect on health and the human body and thus was banned in the year 1978. Medical studies show that microscopic dusts sent out when scraping or sanding lead-based paints results to several health hazards. Nervous system disorders, hearing loss, IQ reduction and even stagnant growth are just a few of the imminent results rooting from exposure to these elements. Lead is a good binding agent used in paints thus most historic houses were painted with these substances.

If your house has lead-based paints and needed to be upgraded, it is imperative to get a building permit from your local building authority before you jump start your project. You also need a qualified lead abatement specialist who knows the proper way of getting rid of these materials without posing danger to those occupying the house.

Asbestos is another component in houses 30-year old and more ancient. These are materials used for insulation which have fire-resistant features. Asbestos are generally durable that is why most part of the house are made with these materials such as furnaces, broilers, roofs, floors and wall sidings. The good thing about it is that it stays harmless as long as it is intact and not damaged. For instance, surfaces having cracks and breaks give way to sending out asbestos dusts which are extremely hazardous to your health when inhaled. To remedy this problem during remodeling your house, you need the same building permit and abatement specialist as when dealing with lead-based paints in your property.

Asbestos and lead are significant components in the construction of historic and traditional houses. The danger that it poses however are controllable if you know the proper ways in dealing with them. Bear in mind that you and the health of your loved ones are as important as in ensuring the productivity of your investment in this challenging and vast industry.

New Federal Lead Law Explained

EPA

This PDF brochure from the Environmental Protection Agency explain exactly what changes are coming on April 22, 2010 and how this will effect renovations & remodeling to you as a homeowner, landlord or contractor.

http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf

EPA Creates a mess with lead-based paint

EPA makes a mess with lead-based paint
There’s a rush on to get remodelers and other contractors who work in older homes qualified to keep working after new regulations surrounding lead-based paint hit the books — and homeowners’ pocketbooks — in a few weeks. 

City to offer lead class

City to offer lead class
On Friday, the city of Galveston will offer a free Lead-Based Paint Renovator Training Course.

Read more on Galveston County Daily News

Buying Older Character Homes: What You Should Know About Lead Paint

For many home buyers the fabulous potential and charm in older character homes is well worth the time and effort that it can take to restore or renovate them; restoring or renovating older homes isn’t just a time and money sink however, it can also be a health hazard. In homes pre-dating 1940, it is assured that lead paint was most certainly used inside the home and possibly outside as well; homes between that time and the early 1970s may well have lead paint in them as well.

You may well wonder what the danger is in having lead paint on the walls of your home, after all, it’s not like you or anyone in your family is going to be chewing on them—at least not that you’re aware of. Well, it just so happens that you don’t have to chew on a painted wall to get lead poisoning from the paint on it. It is true that one way that you can get lead poisoning is from ingesting paint chips that have come off the deteriorating surface of a painted surface but that is less likely to occur than from exposure to lead dust. When aged paint deteriorates it breaks down—or “chalks”—releasing lead dust; this dust is picked up off the wall and other surfaces from touch and may be ingested when you put your hands to your mouth, it can also be inhaled from the air.

Exposure to lead particles can cause permanent damage to children and adults alike; lead paint is the major source of lead poisoning in children. In children the repercussions are usually brain damage, impaired mental function, and hindered mental and physical development. Pregnant women exposed to lead dust can also pass these types of effects on their fetus through their bloodstream, making it a very important component to rid your house of when you have or are expecting children. Adults can certainly suffer from lead poisoning as well, but because their development is complete, the results are different. Lead poisoning in adults causes irritability, poor coordination, nerve damage, reproductive problems, and high blood pressure.

The only way to tell if you have lead poisoning is to have a blood test to check for levels of lead in your system.

Slightly more complicated is testing for lead in your home. While there are home tests available, they deliver poor results and are quite likely to deliver inaccurate results. Lab tests will give accurate results and are quite reasonable cost-wise. Lab tests to check for lead paint will ask you to submit a number of paint samples cut from the walls of your home.

To keep your family safe and healthy it is recommended that you wet-wipe down lead paint surfaces to keep dust to a minimum until you can have the lead paint professionally removed by a lead abatement specialist. While the paint is being removed from your home it is best to stay elsewhere so that you don’t increase your exposure. To help reduce your exposure you can also use a high-phosphorus cleaner to keep the amount of lead dust to a minimum; any cleaning solutions are only a temporary measure against exposure though, don’t rely on that to keep your family safe.

Don’t let the possibility of lead paint scare you away from buying older homes, they can be amazing places to live and many of them have already had their paint removed by previous owners. If you do need to have the paint removed in one of these otherwise idyllic abodes rest assured that the final result will be well worth the time and effort.

Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act

There are many regulations and statutes pertaining to lead-paint hazards. We’re providing you with links to a number of the most important ones, especially as they relate to our grant programs.

Information on EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule

Title X Regulations (Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act)

The Environmental Protection Agency‘s Lead Regulations for Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil

U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety & Health Administration

• Public Law 102-550 – Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992
• Title X, Sections 1012 and 1013 – Requirements for the Notification, Evaluation, and Reduction of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Federally Owned Residential Property and Housing Receiving Federal Assistance.
  Visit HUD‘s Lead-Safe Housing Rule web site to learn more.
• Title X, Section 1018 – Requirements for the Disclosure of Known Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing (HUD’s Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Rule web site has more information)

LEAD PAINT MAKES YOU STUPID

April 22 deadline approaching for lead certification

April 22 deadline approaching for lead certification
Beginning next month, federal law will require contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb paint in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 must be certified in the new EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule and follow specific work practices to reduce human exposures to lead.

Read more on Logan Herald-Observer & Woodbine Twiner