Lead Safety for Our Babies

by Francisco Garcia

LEAD SAFETY FOR RENOVATION, REPAIR, AND PAINTING: RRP Certification

Maybe it’s knowing that my 8 month pregnant wife is at risk, maybe it’s wanting to ensure that our first baby is in the best possible health it can be in before it enters the world, maybe it’s wanting to protect our workers and their families, or maybe it’s making sure that we don’t pollute the soil in our job sites, but last week we took the official step of getting a specialized EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Certification to work on homes that have been tested to contain or even have the potential to contain lead-based paint (LBP). 

 

                           our baby!

I think most people will know that lead paint is “safe-enough” when it doesn’t get disturbed. But when working on older homes during remodeling activity, which is surely bound to happen when working with the housing stock in San Diego’s urban neighborhoods, it’s a given that there will be a lot of dust generated from demolition, sanding, or even preparing for repaint.  The lead dust can enter worker’s lung through inhalation or through ingestion (think coffee cup on a jobsite without a lid).  When children play around contaminated soil, they can get it in their hands and end up in their mouths.  When our workers go home to their families with dusty clothes and greet them at the end of a hard-day’s work, they can unknowingly transfer it to their children or spouse. 

Knowing that as a business owner, I’m taking the right steps to ensure the safety of the ones most susceptible to its effects, gives me peace of mind when I give instructions during demolition of walls, when removing old trim from windows, or when scraping away peeling paint.     

Here are some facts about lead-based paint:

-It can affect children’s brains and developing nervous systems

-It can pass from a pregnant woman to her fetus and can cause miscarriages, premature births, and brain damage

-In adults, it can lead to high blood pressure, fertility problems, sexual disorders, muscle or joint pain, and digestive and nerve disorders.

-It was banned for residential use in 1978.  Homes built before 1940 have an 87% likelihood of containing LBP, those built between 1940 and 1960 have a 69% likelihood, while those between 1960 and 1978 have a 24% likelihood of containing it.

-Certified testing for it can be done on-site with an XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) gun without disturbance or through the collection of paint samples sent to a laboratory for analysis.

-EPA, HUD, OSHA, and the City of San Diego have Lead-Certification requirements for performing RRP activities on housing and child-occupied facilities such as daycares and schools.  Violations can result in fines ranging from $2,500 to $37,500 per occurrence.

-Two thirds of San Diego’s housing stock predates 1978.

If you'd like more information about lead-based paint as it pertains to Renovations, Repair, and Painting, read the attached pdf on "Renovating Right."

http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf