1-800-424-LEAD (5323) www.epa.gov/getleadsafe EPA-740- K-10-001 April 2010 Important lead hazard information for families, child care providers and schools.

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# The Lead-Safe Cer t ified G uide t o 

# Renovate 

# ri ght

# It ’ s t he Law!

Federal law requires contractors that disturb painted surfaces in homes, child care facilities and schools, built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Always ask to see your contractor’s certification. Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating more than six square feet of painted surface s in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects or window replacement or demolition in housing, child care facilities and schools built before 1978.

• Homeo wners 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 six years of age 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.

# W ho Shou l d R ead Thi s Pa m p h l e t ?

This pamphlet is for you if you:

• Reside in a home built before 1978.

• Own o r operate a child care facility, including preschools and kindergarten

classrooms, built before 1978, or

• Hav e a child under six years of age who attends a child care facility built before 1978.



## You will learn:

• Basic facts about lead and your health.

• How t o choose a contractor, if you are a property owner.

• Wha t tenants, and parents/guardians of a child in a child care facility or school

should consider.

• How t o prepare for the renovation or repair job.

• Wha t to look for during the job and after the job is done.

• Whe re to get more information about lead.



## This pamphlet is not for:

• A batement projects. Abatement is a set of activities aimed specifically at

eli minating 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-L EA D (53 23) 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-L EA D (53 23) and ask for more information on how to work safely in a home with lead-based paint.

• Cont ractor education. Contractors

who want information about working safely with lead should contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-L EA D (53 23) for information about courses and resources on lead-safe work practices.

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# R enova t in g , R e p air in g , or Pain t in g ?

• Is your home, your building, or the child care facility

or s chool your children attend being renovated, repaired, or painted?

• Was y our home, your building, or the child care facility

or school where your children under six years of age 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 child care facility or school your children attend.



## The F acts A bout 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.

• Lea d 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.

• Lea d-based paint was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for

residential use in 1978.

• Pro jects that disturb painted surfaces 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.

2 3 

# Lead and Your H ea lt h

Lead is especially dangerous to children under six years of age. Lead can affect children’s brains and developing nervous systems, causing:

• Redu ced IQ and learning disabilities.

• Beh avior problems.

E ven c hildren 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:

• Hig h blood pressure and hypertension.

• Pre gnant women exposed to lead can transfer lead to their fetuses. Lead gets into

the body when it is swallowed or inhaled.

• Peo ple, especially children, can swallow lead dust as they eat, play, and do other

normal hand-to-mouth activities.

• Peo ple 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.



## W hat should I do i f I am c oncerned about my family’s exposure to lead?

• Cal l your local health department for advice on reducing and eliminating

exposures to lead inside and outside your home, child care facility or school.

• Alw ays use lead-safe work practices when renovation or repair will disturb

painted surfaces.

• A blo od 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-L EA D (53 23)

.


## There are other things you can do to protect your family every day.

• Regularly clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces.

• Wash chi ldren’s hands, bottles, pacifiers, and toys often.

• Mak e sure children eat a healthy, nutritious diet consistent with the USDA's dietary

guidelines, that helps protect children from the effects of lead.

• Wip e off shoes before entering house.4 

# W here D oe s t he Lead Come F rom ?

D ust 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 window sills into the body.


## H ome 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.


## O ther 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-L EA D (53 23) for more information on these sources.

5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Between 1940 – 1960 Between 1960 – 1978

Before 1940 

### 24% 69%
87% Percentage of Homes Likely to Contain LeadAge of Homes 

# Che c kin g Your H ome for Lead-Ba s ed Pain t

O lder homes, child care facilities, and schools are more likely to contain le ad-based paint.Homes may be single-family homes or apartments. They may be private, governmentassisted, 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 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 cer tified 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 cer tified 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 h elp finding a certified risk assessor or inspector, call the National Lead

Information Center at 1-800-424-L EA D (53 23)

. You may also have a certified renovator test the surfaces or components being disturbed for lead using a lead test kit. Test kits must be EPA-recognized and are available at hardware stores. They include detailed instructions for their use.6 

# F or Pro p er ty O wne r s

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 p. 8). It also means ensuring the contractor uses lead-safe work practices. Federal law requires that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb painted surfaces in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Make sure your contractor is certified, and can explain clearly the details of the job and how the contractor will minimize lead hazards during the work.

• You c an verify that a contractor is certified by checking EPA’s website at

epa.gov/getleadsafe or by calling the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-L EA D (53 23) . You can also ask to see a copy of the contractor’s firm certification.

• Ask if th e contractor is trained to perform lead-safe work practices and to see a

copy of their training certificate.

• Ask the m what lead-safe methods they will use to set up and perform the job in your

home, child care facility or school.

• Ask fo r references from at least three recent jobs involving homes built before 1978,

and speak to each personally. A lwa ys make sure the contract is clear about how the work will be set up, performed, and cleaned.

• Shar e the results of any previous lead tests with the contractor.

• You sh ould specify in the contract that they follow the work practices described on

pages 9 and 10 of this brochure.

• The c ontract should specify which parts of your home are part of the work area and

specify which lead-safe work practices will 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 c ontract should also specify that the contractor will clean the work area, verify

that it was cleaned adequately, and re-clean it if necessary.


## I f you think a worker is not doing what he is supposed to do or is doing something th at is unsafe, you should:

• Direct the contractor to comply with regulatory and contract requirements.

• Cal l your local health or building department, or

• Cal l EPA's hotline 1-800-424-L EA D (53 23)

. If your property receives housing assistance from HUD (or a state or local agency that uses HUD funds), you must follow the requirements of HUD’s Lead-Safe Housing Rule and the ones described in this pamphlet.

7 

# F or Tenan ts and F ami l ie s of Chi l dre n U nde r Six y ear s of a g e i n Chi l d C are F a c i l i t ie s an d S c hoo ls

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 p. 8). Federal law requires that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 and in child care facilities and schools built before 1978, that a child under six years of age visits regularly, to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. The law requires anyone hired to renovate, repair, or do painting preparation work on a property built before 1978 to follow the steps described on pages 9 and 10 unless the area where the work will be done contains no lead-based paint.


## I f you think a worker is not doing what he is supposed to do or is doing something th at is unsafe, you should:

• Contact your landlord.

• Cal l your local health or building department, or

• Cal l EPA's hotline 1-800-424-L EA D (53 23)

. If you are concerned about lead hazards left behind after the job is over, you can check the work yourself (see page 10).8 

# Pre p arin g for a R eno va t ion

The work areas should not be accessible to occupants while the work occurs. The rooms or areas where work is being done may need to be blocked off or sealed with plastic sheeting to contain any dust that is generated. Therefore, the contained area may not be available to you until the work in that room or area is complete, cleaned thoroughly, and the containment has been removed. Because you may not have access to some areas during the renovation, you should plan accordingly. 

## You may need:

• Alternative bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen arrangements if work is occurring in

tho se areas of your home.

• A saf e place for pets because they too can be poisoned by lead and can track lead

dust into other areas of the home.

• A sep arate 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 pla ce to store your furniture. All furniture and belongings may have to be moved

from the work area while the work is being done. Items that can’t be moved, such as cabinets, should be wrapped in plastic.

• To tu rn off forced-air heating and air conditioning systems while the work is being

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 part of the work is being done. Child care facilities and schools may want to consider alternative accommodations for children and access to necessary facilities.

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# D urin g t he W ork

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 painted surfaces to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. The work practices the contractor must follow include these three simple procedures, described below:
1. Con tain the work area. The area must be contained so that dust and debris do not escape

from that area. Warning signs must be put up and plastic or other impermeable material and tape must be used as appropriate to:

• Cov er the floors and any furniture that cannot be moved.

• Sea l off doors and heating and cooling system vents. These will help prevent dust or debris from getting outside the work area.
2. A voi d renovation methods that generate large amounts of lead-contaminated dust.

Some methods generate so much lead-contaminated dust that their use is prohibited. They are:

• Ope n flame burning or torching.

• San ding, grinding, planing, needle gunning,

or blasting with power tools and equipment not equipped with a shroud and HEPA vacuum attachment.

• Usi ng a heat gun at temperatures greater

than 1100°F. There is no way to eliminate dust, but some renovation methods make less dust than others. Contractors may choose to use various methods to minimize dust generation, including using water to mist areas before sanding or scraping; scoring paint before separating components; and prying and pulling apart components instead of breaking them.
3. Cle an 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 must 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:

• Usi ng a HEPA vacuum to clean up dust and debris on all surfaces, followed by

• Wet wiping and wet mopping with plenty of rinse water. 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 must be re-cleaned.10 

# F or Pro p er ty O wne r s : A f t er t he W ork i s D one

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. 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 must 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-L EA D (53 23) 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 sh ould specify in your contract that a lead-dust test will be done. In this case,

make it clear who will do the testing.

• Tes ting 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-L EA D (53 23) 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.

11 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 child care facility.
The National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-L EA D (53 23) or www.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.

• Sta te 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.

• Loc al building code officials can tell you the

regulations that apply to the renovation work that you are planning.

• Sta te, 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

.

• Ste ps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting.

• Pro tect Your Family from Lead in Your Home

• Lea d in Your Home: A Parent’s Reference Guide 

# F or A ddi t iona l I nfo rma t ion

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.13 12 

## E P A R egional O ffices EPA addresses residential lead hazards through several different regulations. EPA requires training and certification for conducting abatement and renovations, 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 epa.gov/lead

. Region 1 (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 1 Suite 1100 One Congress Street Boston, MA 02114-2023 (888) 372-7341
Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 2 2890 Woodbridge Avenue Building 205, Mail Stop 225 Edison, NJ 08837-3679 (732) 321-6 6 71
Region 3 (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, West Virginia) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 3 1650 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 (215) 814-5000 Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 4 61 Forsyth Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30303-8960 (404) 562-9900
Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 5 77 West Jackson Boulevard Chicago, IL 60604-3507 (312) 886-6003
Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 6 1445 Ross Avenue, 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75202-2733 (214) 665-6444 Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 7 901 N. 5th Street Kansas City, KS 66101 (913) 551-7003
Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 8 1595 Wynkoop Street Denver, CO 80202 (303) 312-6312
Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada) Regional Lead Contact U.S. Region 9 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 947-8021
Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) Regional Lead Contact U.S. EPA Region 10 1200 Sixth Avenue Seattle, WA 98101-1128 (206) 553-1200 

# E P A Con t a cts Ot her F edera l Ag en c ie s

CPSC 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


## C D C Childhood Lead Poisoning Pr evention 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.
CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-40 Atlanta, GA 30341 (770) 488-3300 www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead 

## HUD O ffice of H ealt hy H omes a nd Lead H azard C ontrol 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.
U.S. Department of H ousi ng 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/

# Sam pl e Pre- R enova t ion F orm This sample form may be used by renovation firms to document compliance with the Federal pre-renovation education and renovation, repair, and painting regulations.


## O ccupant Confirmation Pamphlet Receipt q I have re ceived a copy of the lead hazard information pamphlet informing me of the

potential risk of the lead hazard exposure from renovation activity to be performed in my dwelling unit. I received this pamphlet before the work began.

Printed Name of Owner-occupant

Signature of Owner-occupant Signa ture Date


## R enovator’s Self Certification O ption ( for tenant-occupied dwellings only) Instructions to Renovator: If the lead hazard information pamphlet was delivered but a tenant signature was not obtainable, you may check the appropriate box below.

q 

## D eclined – I certify that I have made a good faith effort to deliver the lead hazard information

pamphlet to the rental dwelling unit listed below at the date and time indicated and that the occupant declined to sign the confirmation of receipt. I further certify that I have left a copy of the pamphlet at the unit with the occupant.
q 

## U navailable for signature – I certify that I have made a good faith effort to deliver the lead

hazard information pamphlet to the rental dwelling unit listed below and that the occupant was unavailable to sign the confirmation of receipt. I further certify that I have left a copy of the pamphlet at the unit by sliding it under the door or by (fill in how pamphlet was left).

Printed Name of Person Certifying Delivery Attempted Delivery Date

Si gnature of Person Certifying Lead Pamphlet Delivery

Unit Address 

## N ote R egarding M ailin g O ption — As an alternative to delivery in person, you may mail the lead hazard information pamphlet to the owner and/or tenant. Pamphlet must be mailed at least seven days before renovation. Mailing must be documented by a certificate of mailing from the post office.