Rigorous Lead Paint Safety Regulations Are In Effect Now

A Newtown-based publication is reporting that strict new rules from the EPA for lead-safe remodeling, enforced with steep fines for noncompliance, 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, published by The Taunton Press, has created an easy-to-use website for contractors and the public that has complete start-to-finish information about lead-safe remodeling.

“Lead paint has always been a concern for conscientious remodelers,” According to Editor Brian Pontolilo. “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 that contractors will need to learn to comply with the new law while balancing the increased time, materials, and costs associated with it.

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 is 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.

“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,” Mr Pontolilo added. “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 website 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 (three) where a remodeler is interviewed and talks about tools, OSHA requirements, cost increases, 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. The magazine is published eight times a year by The Taunton Press.

To learn more, visit www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding.