Why is lead important to community living? Well,
unless you live under a rock (a different kind of element), you’re likely aware that paint has been used to update and maintain communities as
far back as we can remember. The majority of paint used in community maintenance, again prior to 1978, will in fact contain lead. With that said, paint in general is not an active product (a product that after applied and cured is static) so unless disturbed, the lead within is dormant.
It was discovered that the lead used in paint has been known to cause health problems such as convulsions, coma and even death. This is not a scare tactic but in fact a reality. With this discovery, researchers found that any lead-based paint in existence, when disrupted, can cause these ill effects. In 1978 the EPA outlawed lead in the chemical makeup of all paint which was a huge step in preventing future exposure. With that said we are still left with surfaces covered in, now peeling, lead-based paint. You may think that since your property has been painted post 1978 that you are in the clear and do not have to
worry about the effects of lead-based paint. If your painted surfaces are not peeling that would be correct, you do not have to worry. However, once any coating starts to peel it is the under layers that we are most concerned with. Top coats will adhere to those underlayers and pull them from the substrate, exposing old layers of lead-based paint. These layers, when scraped in preparation to paint, will fall to the ground and could seep into water systems after rain if not properly gathered and disposed of. In order to prevent further health issues, the EPA has created the RRP Rule (Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule) that depicts the method in which this lead based paint needs to be remediated. From the EPA, here is who this applies to:
“ In general, anyone who is paid to perform work that disturbs paint in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 must be certified.” This includes all firms, even sole proprietorships.
Examples of the types of firms covered:
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