Lead

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Issue Summary

Lead-based paint has been banned since 1978, but many older structures still have this paint on walls, woodwork, siding, windows, and doors. Construction and demolition workers can be exposed to lead contamination by cutting, scraping, sanding, heating, burning, or blasting lead-based paint from building components, metal bridges and metal storage tanks. In addition to exposure to workers, lead-based paint debris or dust can also make its way into soil, potentially contaminating surface waters. Lead poisoning is a serious health threat for adults and is especially damaging to young children.

In most states, C&D debris contaminated with lead-based paint must be managed in different ways depending upon where the debris came from and what it is. For example, lead-based paint waste (e.g., paint chips, dust, and sludges) from removal or remediation activities and C&D debris from commercial or industrial sites that is contaminated with lead-based paint must be managed as RCRA hazardous waste if a representative sample meets the toxicity characteristic (D008). However, in most states, contractors working to renovate, remodel, or abate lead-based paint in homes are allowed to dispose of lead-based paint waste as household garbage. In many states, contractors who generate the waste in this manner do not need to determine whether the waste meets the toxicity characteristic under RCRA.

Resources

U.S. EPA

U.S. EPA Lead in Paint, Dust and Soil Home Page. Starting point for EPA lead resources.

EPA Rules and Regulations.

Other Federal Agencies/Programs

OSHA Lead Home Page. Lead overexposure is one of the most common overexposures found in industry and is a leading cause of workplace illness. Therefore, OSHA has established the reduction of lead exposure to be a high strategic priority. OSHA's five year strategic plan sets a performance goal of a 15% reduction in the average severity of lead exposure or employee blood lead levels in selected industries and workplaces.

OSHA Lead Standards

States

State Lead Paint Abatement Tool. This tool provides quick access to state rules relating to lead issues, state or federal programs concerning training and certification and other resources that can help achieve compliance.

Organizations/Non-Government Programs

National Lead Information Center. The National Lead Information Center (NLIC) provides the general public and professionals with information about lead hazards and their prevention. NLIC operates under a contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with funding from EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Publications

The Lead-Based Paint Pre-Renovation Education Rule: A Handbook for Contractors, Property Mangers, and Maintenance Personnel. (PDF)

Databases and Tools

Locate Abatement Firms and Training Programs. A searchable database to help locate certified abatement contractors, and accredited training programs in Federally administered States and Tribes.