What You Need to Know About Lead Poisoning
A new federal law beginning April 2010 will require all contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in private homes, childcare facilities, and schools (built prior to 1978) to be certified in the prevention of lead contamination.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) document titled What You Need to Know About Lead Poisoning, “Despite laws established in the 1970s to make people aware of the dangers of lead and its poisonous effects, lead poisoning in children remains a common, yet preventable, environmental health problem in the United States.” Heavily-leaded paint is in about two-thirds of homes built prior to 1940 and one-half of homes built from 1940 to 1960, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). “Some homes built after 1960 also contain heavily-leaded paint.”
The CPSC recommends that any homes constructed before the 1980s be tested for lead before renovating. You can learn more about lead-based paint by visiting the EPA’s website In today’s column we’ll assume you understand that if you think you have lead-based paint you need to seek expert help before any renovations. Now, we’ll tackle the fun stuff: choosing colors that have mass appeal (in case you’re selling soon), selecting quality paint, and understanding when to buy paint. For this information we turn to Gabrielle Genevich, branch manager, Sherwin Williams.