The state will approve certain products next year and begin training inspectors and contractors on how to use them, according to Brad Prenney, director of the childhood lead poisoning prevention program in the state's Dept. of Public Health. The Bay State also is waiting for the ASTM verdict. Some of these products are no different to me than another coat of paint. Neither will it be the best option, he said, for surfaces getting a lot of wear and tear. Whatever encapsulants emerge with the blessings of ASTM and state regulators, they still will require monitoring and maintenance.
Temporary solutions look mighty appealing however, considering how much permanent solutions cost.
If encapsulants catch on, lead abatement could become affordable to building owners and lucrative to the contractors who know how to apply the proper paints, or coatings, or whatever HUD wants to call them.