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Renovate Right
Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers and Schools
On this page you will find:
- It's the Law!
- Renovating, Repairing, or Painting?
- Who Should Read This Pamphlet?
- Lead and Your Health
- Where Does the Lead Come From?
- Checking Your Home for Lead-Based Paint
- For Property Owners
- For Tenants, and Families of Children Under Age Six in Child Care Facilities and Schools
- Preparing for a Renovation
- During the Work
- For Property Owners: After the Work is Done
- For Additional Information
- EPA Contacts
- Other Federal Agencies
- Current Sample Pre-Renovation Form
It's the Law!
Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating six square feet or more of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects in housing, child care facilities and schools built before 1978. The information is contained in a brochure, Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (10 pp, 7.0MB, about PDF).
Homeowners and tenants: renovators must give you this pamphlet before starting work.
Child care facilities, including preschools and kindergarten classrooms, and the families of children under the age of six that attend those facilities: renovators must provide a copy of this pamphlet to child-care facilities and general renovation information to families whose children attend those facilities.
Also, as of April 2010, federal law requires contractors that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Therefore as of April 2010, ask to see your contractor's certification.
Renovating, Repairing, or Painting?
Is your home, your building, or the child care facility or school your children attend, being renovated, repaired, or painted?
Was your home, your building, or the child care facility or school your children under age 6 attend, built before 1978?
If the answer to these questions is YES, there are a few important things you need to know about lead-based paint.
This pamphlet provides basic facts about lead and information about lead safety when work is being done in your home, your building or the childcare facility or school your children attend.
The Facts About Lead
Lead can affect children's brains and developing nervous systems, causing reduced IQ, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. Lead is also harmful to adults.
Lead in dust is the most common way people are exposed to lead. People can also get lead in their bodies from lead in soil or paint chips. Lead dust is often invisible.
Lead-based paint was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for residential use in 1978.
Projects that disturb lead-based paint can create dust and endanger you and your family. Don't let this happen to you. Follow the practices described in this pamphlet to protect you and your family.
Who Should Read This Pamphlet?
This pamphlet is for you if you:
Reside in a home built before 1978,
Own or operate a child care facility, including preschools and kindergarten classrooms, built before 1978, or
Have a child under six who attends a child care facility built before 1978.
You will learn:
Basic facts about lead and your health,
How to choose a contractor, if you are a property owner,
What tenants, and parents/guardians of a child in a child care facility or school should consider,
How to prepare for the renovation or repair job,
What to look for during the job and after the job is done,
Where to get more information about lead.
This pamphlet is not for:
Abatement projects. Abatement is a set of activities aimed specifically at eliminating lead or lead hazards. EPA has regulations for certification and training of abatement professionals. If your goal is to eliminate lead or lead hazards, contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) for more information.
"Do-it-yourself" projects. If you plan to do renovation work yourself, this document is a good start, but you will need more information to complete the work safely. Call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) and ask for more information on how to work safely in a home with lead-based paint.
Contractor education. Contractors who want information about working safely with lead should contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) for information about courses and resources on lead-safe work practices.
Lead and Your Health
Lead is especially dangerous to children under six years of age.
Lead can affect children's brains and developing nervous systems, causing:
Reduced IQ and learning disabilities.
Behavior problems.
Even children who appear healthy can have dangerous levels of lead in their bodies.
Lead is also harmful to adults. In adults, low levels of lead can pose many dangers, including:
High blood pressure and hypertension.
Pregnant women exposed to lead can transfer lead to their fetus.
Lead gets into the body when it is swallowed or inhaled.
People, especially children, can swallow lead dust as they eat, play and do other normal hand-to-mouth activities.
People may also breathe in lead dust or fumes if they disturb lead-based paint. People who sand, scrape, burn, brush or blast or otherwise disturb lead-based paint risk unsafe exposure to lead.
What should I do if I am concerned about my family's exposure to lead?
Call your local health department for advice on reducing and eliminating exposures to lead inside and outside your home, child care facility or school.
Always use lead-safe work practices when renovation or repair will disturb lead-based paint.
A blood test is the only way to find out if you or a family member already has lead poisoning. Call your doctor or local health department to arrange for a blood test.
For more information about the health effects of exposure to lead, visit the EPA lead website at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm or call 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).
There are other things you can do to protect your family everyday.
Regularly clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces.
Wash children's hands, bottles, pacifiers, and toys often.
Make sure children eat a healthy, nutritious diet consistent with the USDA's dietary guidelines, that helps protect children from the effects of lead.
Wipe off shoes before entering house.
Where Does the Lead Come From?
Dust is the main problem. The most common way to get lead in the body is from dust. Lead dust comes from deteriorating lead-based paint and lead-contaminated soil that gets tracked into your home. This dust may accumulate to unsafe levels. Then, normal hand to-mouth activities, like playing and eating (especially in young children), move that dust from surfaces like floors and windowsills into the body.
Home renovation creates dust. Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips.
Proper work practices protect you from the dust. The key to protecting yourself and your family during a renovation, repair or painting job is to use lead-safe work practices such as containing dust inside the work area, using dust-minimizing work methods, and conducting a careful cleanup, as described in this pamphlet.
Other sources of lead. Remember, lead can also come from outside soil, your water, or household items (such as lead-glazed pottery and lead crystal). Contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) for more information on these sources.
Checking Your Home for Lead-Based Paint
Age of Homes Percentage of Homes
Likely to Contain LeadBetween 1960-1978 24% Between 1940-1960 69% Before 1940 87%
Older homes, child care facilities, and schools are more likely to contain lead-based paint. Homes may be single-family homes or apartments. They may be private, government-assisted, or public housing. Schools are preschools and kindergarten classrooms. They may be urban, suburban, or rural.
You have the following options:
You may decide to assume your home, child care facility, or school contains lead. Especially in older homes and buildings, you may simply want to assume lead-based paint is present and follow the lead-safe work practices described in this brochure during the renovation, repair, or painting job.
You or your contractor may also test for lead using a lead test kit. Test kits must be EPA-approved and are available at hardware stores. They include detailed instructions for their use.
You can hire a certified professional to check for lead-based paint. These professionals are certified risk assessors or inspectors, and can determine if your home has lead or lead hazards.
A certified inspector or risk assessor can conduct an inspection telling you whether your home, or a portion of your home, has lead-based paint and where it is located. This will tell you the areas in your home where lead-safe work practices are needed.
A certified risk assessor can conduct a risk assessment telling you if your home currently has any lead hazards from lead in paint, dust, or soil. The risk assessor can also tell you what actions to take to address any hazards.
For help finding a certified risk assessor or inspector, call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).
For Property Owners
You have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of your family, tenants, or children in your care. This means properly preparing for the renovation and keeping persons out of the work area (see "Preparing for a Renovation" below). It also means ensuring the contractor uses lead-safe work practices.
Beginning April 2010, federal law will require that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.
Until contractors are required to be certified, make sure your contractor can explain clearly the details of the job and how the contractor will minimize lead hazards during the work.
Ask if the contractor is trained to perform lead-safe work practices and to see a copy of their training certificate.
Ask them what lead-safe methods they will use to set up and perform the job in your home, child care facility or school.
Ask if the contractor is aware of the lead renovation rules. For example, contractors are required to provide you with a copy of this pamphlet before beginning work. A sample pre-renovation disclosure form is provided below. Contractors may use this form to make documentation of compliance easier.
Ask for references from at least three recent jobs involving homes built before 1978, and speak to each personally.
Always make sure the contract is clear about how the work will be set up, performed, and cleaned.
Share the results of any previous lead tests with the contractor.
Even before contractors are required to be certified you should specify in the contract that they follow the work practices described in the sections "During the Work" and "After the Work is Done" below.
The contract should specify which parts of your home are part of the work area and specify which lead-safe work practices should be used in those areas. Remember, your contractor should confine dust and debris to the work area and should minimize spreading that dust to other areas of the home.
The contract should also specify that the contractor clean the work area, verify that it was cleaned adequately, and re-clean it if necessary.
Once these practices are required, if you think a worker is failing to do what they are supposed to do or is doing something that is unsafe, you should:
Direct the contractor to comply with the contract requirements,
Call your local health or building department, or
Call EPA's hotline 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).
For Tenants, and Families of Children Under Age Six in Child Care Facilities and Schools
You play an important role ensuring the ultimate safety of your family.
This means properly preparing for the renovation and staying out of the work area (see "Preparing for a Renovation" below).
Beginning April 2010, federal law will require that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 that a child under age six visits regularly to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.
The law will require anyone hired to renovate, repair, or do painting preparation work on a property built before 1978 to follow the steps described in the sections "During the Work" and "After the Work is Done" below unless the area where the work will be done contains no lead-based paint.
Once these practices are required, if you think a worker is failing to do what they are supposed to do or is doing something that is unsafe, you should:
Contact your landlord,
Call your local health or building department, or
Call EPA's hotline 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).
If you are concerned about lead hazards left behind after the job is over, you can check the work yourself (see the section "After the Work is Done" below).
If your property receives housing assistance from HUD (or a state or local agency that uses HUD funds), you must follow the more stringent requirements of HUD's Lead-safe Housing Rule and the ones described in this pamphlet.
Preparing for a Renovation
The work areas should not be accessible to occupants while the work occurs. The rooms or areas where work is being done may be blocked off or sealed with plastic sheeting to contain any dust that is generated. The contained area will not be available to you until the work in that room or area is complete, cleaned thoroughly, and the containment has been removed. You will not have access to some areas and should plan accordingly.
You may need:
Alternative bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen arrangements if work is occurring in those areas of your home.
A safe place for pets because they, too, can be poisoned by lead and can track lead dust into other areas of the home.
A separate pathway for the contractor from the work area to the outside, in order to bring materials in and out of the home. Ideally, it should not be through the same entrance that your family uses.
A place to store your furniture. All furniture and belongings may have to be moved from the work area while the work is done. Items that can't be moved, such as cabinets, should be wrapped in heavy duty plastic.
To turn off forced-air heating and air conditioning systems while work is done. This prevents dust from spreading through vents from the work area to the rest of your home. Consider how this may affect your living arrangements.
You may even want to move out of your home temporarily while all or parts of the work are being done.
Child care facilities and schools may want to consider alternative accommodations for children and access to necessary facilities.
During the Work
As of April 2010, federal law requires contractors that are hired to perform renovation, repair and painting projects in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 that disturb lead-based paint to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.
Even before contractors are required to be certified and follow specific work practices, the contractor should follow these three simple procedures, described below:
Contain the work area. The area should be contained so that dust and debris do not escape from that area. Warning signs should be put up and heavy-duty plastic and tape should be used as appropriate to:
- Cover the floors and any furniture that cannot be moved.
- Seal off doors and heating and cooling system vents.
Minimize dust. There is no way to eliminate dust, but some methods make less dust than others. For example, using water to mist areas before sanding or scraping; scoring paint before separating components; and prying and pulling apart components instead of breaking them are techniques that generate less dust than alternatives. Some methods generate large amounts of lead-contaminated dust and should not be used. They are:
- Open flame burning or torching.
- Sanding, grinding, planing, needle gunning, or blasting with power tools and equipment not equipped with a shroud and HEPA vacuum attachment.
- Using a heat gun at temperatures greater than 1100°F.
Clean up thoroughly. The work area should be cleaned up daily to keep it as clean as possible. When all the work is done, the area should be cleaned up using special cleaning methods before taking down any plastic that isolates the work area from the rest of the home. The special cleaning methods should include:
- Using a HEPA vacuum to clean up dust and debris on all surfaces, followed by
- Wet mopping with plenty of rinse water.
These will help prevent dust or debris from getting outside the work area.
When the final cleaning is done, look around. There should be no dust, paint chips, or debris in the work area. If you see any dust, paint chips, or debris, the area should be re-cleaned.
For Property Owners: After the Work is Done
When all the work is finished, you will want to know if your home, child care facility, or school has been cleaned up properly. Here are some ways to check.
Even before contractors are required to be certified and follow specific work practices, you should:
Ask about your contractor's final cleanup check. Remember, lead dust is often invisible to the naked eye. It may still be present even if you cannot see it. The contractor should use disposable cleaning cloths to wipe the floor of the work area and compare them to a cleaning verification card to determine if the work area was adequately cleaned.
To order a cleaning verification card and detailed instructions visit the EPA lead website at www.epa.gov/lead or contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) or visit their website at www.epa.gov/lead/nlic.htm.
You also may choose to have a lead-dust test. Lead-dust tests are wipe samples sent to a laboratory for analysis.
You can specify in your contract that a lead-dust test will be done. In this case, make it clear who will do the testing.
Testing should be done by a lead professional.
If you choose to do the testing, some EPA-recognized lead laboratories will send you a kit that allows you to collect samples and send them back to the lab for analysis.
Contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) for lists of qualified professionals and EPA-recognized lead labs.
If your home, child care facility, or school fails the dust test, the area should be re-cleaned and tested again.
Where the project is done by contract, it is a good idea to specify in the contract that the contractor is responsible for re-cleaning if the home, child care facility, or school fails the test.
For Additional Information
You may need additional information on how to protect yourself and your children while a job is going on in your home, your building, or childcare facility.
The National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) or epa.gov/lead/nlic.htm can tell you how to contact your state, local, and/or tribal programs or get general information about lead poisoning prevention.
State and tribal lead poisoning prevention or environmental protection programs can provide information about lead regulations and potential sources of financial aid for reducing lead hazards. If your State or local government has requirements more stringent than those described in this pamphlet, you must follow those requirements.
Local building code officials can tell you the regulations that apply to the renovation work that you are planning.
State, county, and local health departments can provide information about local programs, including assistance for lead-poisoned children and advice on ways to get your home checked for lead.
The National Lead Information Center can also provide a variety of resource materials, including the following guides to lead-safe work practices. Many of these materials are also available at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/brochure.htm.
Lead Paint Safety, a Field Guide for Painting, Home Maintenance, and Renovation Work
Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home
Lead in Your Home: A Parent's Reference Guide
For the hearing impaired, call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 to access any of the phone numbers in this brochure.
EPA Contacts
EPA Regional Offices
EPA addresses residential lead hazards through several different regulations. EPA requires training and certification for conducting abatement, education about hazards associated with renovations, disclosure about known lead paint and lead hazards in housing, and sets lead-paint hazard standards.
Your Regional EPA Office can provide further information regarding lead safety and lead protection programs at www.epa.gov/lead.
| Region 1 (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) | Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, | Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) |
| Regional Lead Contact | Tennessee) | Regional Lead Contact |
| U.S. EPA Region 1 | Regional Lead Contact | U.S. EPA Region 7 |
| Suite 1100 | U.S. EPA Region 4 | 901 N. 5th Street |
| One Congress Street | 61 Forsyth Street, SW | Kansas City, KS 66101 |
| Boston, MA 02114-2023 | Atlanta, GA 30303-8960 | (913) 551-7003 |
| (888) 372-7341 | (404) 562-9900 | |
| Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) | Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) | Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) |
| Regional Lead Contact | Regional Lead Contact | Regional Lead Contact |
| U.S. EPA Region 2 | U.S. EPA Region 5 | U.S. EPA Region 8 |
| 2890 Woodbridge Avenue | 77 West Jackson Boulevard | 1595 Wynkoop Street |
| Building 205, Mail Stop 225 | Chicago, IL 60604-3507 | Denver, CO 80202 |
| Edison, NJ 08837-3679 | (312) 886-6003 | (303) 312-6312 |
| (732) 321-6671 | ||
| Region 3 (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, West Virginia) | Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) | Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada) |
| Regional Lead Contact | Regional Lead Contact | Regional Lead Contact |
| U.S. EPA Region 3 | U.S. EPA Region 6 | U.S. EPA Region 9 |
| 1650 Arch Street | 1445 Ross Avenue, | 75 Hawthorne Street |
| Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 | 12th Floor | San Francisco, CA 94105 |
| (215) 814-5000 | Dallas, TX 75202-2733 | (415) 947-8021 |
| (214) 665-6444 | ||
| Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) | ||
| Regional Lead Contact | ||
| U.S. EPA Region 10 | ||
| 1200 Sixth Avenue | ||
| Seattle, WA 98101-1128 | ||
| (206) 553-1200 |
Other Federal Agencies
| CPSC | HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control |
| The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. CPSC warns the public and private sectors to reduce exposure to lead and increase consumer awareness. Contact CPSC for further information regarding regulations and consumer product safety. CPSC 4330 East West Highway Bethesda, MD 20814 Hotline 1-(800) 638-2772 www.cpsc.gov |
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides funds to state and local governments to develop cost-effective ways to reduce lead-based paint hazards in America's privately-owned low-income housing. In addition, the office enforces the rule on disclosure of known lead paint and lead hazards in housing, and HUD's lead safety regulations in HUD-assisted housing, provides public outreach and technical assistance, and conducts technical studies to help protect children and their families from health and safety hazards in the home. Contact the HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control for information on lead regulations, outreach efforts, and lead hazard control research and outreach grant programs. |
| CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assists state and local childhood lead poisoning prevention programs to provide a scientific basis for policy decisions, and to ensure that health issues are addressed in decisions about housing and the environment. Contact CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program for additional materials and links on the topic of lead. |
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control 451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 8236 Washington, DC 20410-3000 HUD's Lead Regulations Hotline (202) 402-7698 www.hud.gov/offices/lead/ |
| CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-40 Atlanta, GA 30341 (770) 488-3300 www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead |
Current Sample Pre-Renovation Form (PDF) (1 pp, 36K) - Current until April 2010