Lead is a highly toxic substance that can cause a number of health problems, particularly in children and fetuses. Humans are exposed to lead through contact with lead-based paint, soil, dust, and drinking water. Before it was known how harmful lead can be it was used in paint, gasoline, water pipes and many other products.

Old lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead exposure in the United States today, even though its use has been banned since 1978. Improper paint removal, such as dry scraping, sanding, or open flame burning, still results in harmful lead exposures to workers and the occupants of dwellings, who may inadvertently inhale or ingest the lead-based paint scraps. Chipping and peeling lead-contaminated paint also poses a serious threat to children, who can ingest large quantities of lead-based paint during their formative years.

Airborne lead dust is another potential hazard to humans -- lead particles can enter the body when an individual breathes or swallows lead dust. Until recently, the most significant airborne source of lead was automobile exhaust. High concentrations of airborne lead particles inside the home can also result from lead dust from outdoor sources, contaminated soil tracked inside, and the use of lead in certain activities such as electronics repair and stained glass-making.

Do The Lead Regulations Apply to Your Community?

Yes. Lead contamination can occur in any community. It is important for you to follow all applicable federal and state regulations in order to help minimize lead exposures in your community.

Actions Your Community Should Be Taking

The actions you should be taking depend largely on the type of lead contamination your community faces.

Lead-Based Paint

Most homes, schools, and other buildings built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Even structures built as recently as 1978 may contain lead-based paint on window frames, walls, or other surfaces. If the paint is in good condition (i.e., not flaking or peeling), leave it undisturbed -- paint in good condition is usually not a problem except in places where painted surfaces rub against each other and create dust (for example, windows that are opened and closed). However, if the paint is not in good condition you must correct the problem immediately. In 1994, EPA proposed regulations establishing training and certification requirements for people engaged in any lead-based paint activity. Be sure to hire only workers with special training in correcting lead paint problems to remove the paint. Until all work is finished and cleanup is done, all occupants -- especially children and pregnant women -- should be instructed not to enter the building.

You must take special precautions to minimize lead-paint exposures in schools. Be sure to keep all areas in school buildings and other areas where children play as clean and dust-free as possible. Floors, window ledges, and chewable surfaces should be cleaned with a solution of powdered automatic dishwasher detergent in warm water (dishwasher detergents are recommended because of their high-phosphate content.) Most multi-purpose cleaners will not remove lead in ordinary dust. Also, make sure that children wash their hands before meals and at nap-time.

If your government sells or leases any residential housing unit you may also have to comply with a new rule that requires disclosure of lead hazards. On March 6, 1996, EPA and HUD issued a final rule that requires sellers and lessors (landlords) of most residential housing built before 1978 to disclose the presence of known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the building. This requirement, along with the other provisions of the rule, ensures that families receive all relevant information concerning their potential for lead exposure in the housing unit.

Airborne Lead

Construction work, demolition, painting, working with batteries or radiators, or other tasks that involve lead can unknowingly create lead dust. Soil nearby roads or highways may also be contaminated from years of exhaust fumes from cars and trucks that use leaded gas. Town public works employees and other workers can easily be exposed to harmful quantities of lead dust, and airborne lead can easily enter buildings or settle on the soil. Your employees should be aware of the dangers of lead dust and, wherever possible, take precautions to avoid generating it. They should also change their clothes immediately after working in areas where airborne lead is likely to be present and take other steps to minimize the chances of carrying lead dust with them into their homes, as well as following other safety precautions while on the job such as washing their hands before eating.

Lead In Drinking Water

Public water systems are required to take a certain number of tap water samples to test for lead in water. Please refer to the "Lead Material Ban" and "Lead and Copper" sections of this publication for more information.

Additional Information

The federal lead requirements are published at 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 745. The lead disclosure regulations are published at 61 Federal Register 9064. The proposed training and certification requirements are published at 59 Federal Register 45872.

For more information on the health effects of lead, send for the Center for Disease Control's publication, "Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children," (October 1991). Call the Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch, 404/488-7330.

For more information on lead-based paint abatement, contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the following two documents: 1) "Comprehensive and Workable Plan for the Abatement of Lead Based Paint in Privately owned Housing: Report to Congress," (December 7, 1990), and 2) "Lead-Based Paint: Interim Guidelines for Hazard Identification and Abatement in Public and Indian Housing," (September, 1990). Call 1/800/245-2691.

For more general information on lead, contact the National Lead Information Center at 1/800/LEADFYI.