A major impetus for lead-paint legislation may come from the 1992 Housing bill, which President Bush was expected to sign as of press time. The legislation, however, could institute longed-for sanity in the realm of lead paint abatement. For one thing, national standards could clear up confusion caused by patchwork regulations now in place. Plus, the bill promises to shift the focus of abatement from removing lead paint sometimes too costly to contemplate to the more realistic goal of eliminating the health hazard, which sometimes translates into merely covering it up. This new approach would place fewer legal and technical burdens on painting contractors and maybe encourage them to stay in house painting after all.
Some contractors think such alarming statistics have bred hysteria.
With lead paint as such a cause c l bre, parents fear lead is the culprit every time Johnny looks a little sleepy. Lead from car emissions has made its way into the soil, said Miller, while lead from pipe solder has contaminated drinking water. However, other industry figures insist that lead paint is the prime culprit and add that paint dust poses a greater hazard than paint chips. The dust, of course, flies up in the air when contractors scrape and sand. They may put down drops and clean up like professional maids after the job, but in the meantime, the dust settles everywhere and people are exposed.