On April 22, 2010, a new EPA rule goes into effect for homes built before 1978. The Environmental Protection Agency announced its Lead Paint: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule – designed to reduce human exposure to lead-paint dust and chips during renovation activities – on April 22, 2008, and its enforcement date was set for exactly two years later.
Federal law will require that individuals receive certain information before renovating six square feet or more of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces on homes built before 1978. The new law will require contractors that disturb lead-based paint in home built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. More information can be found at this site.
The two-year lead-in was expected to be long enough to implement a large-scale training and lead-safe certification program for remodelers who might be disturbing paint in homes built before 1978, when the ban on lead paint began. The EPA estimated that as many as 200,000 people could be certified in that 24 months. Problem is, so far only about 50,000 certifications have been awarded, although another 50,000 are expected to be on record by April 22, an agency official told USA Today’s Green House. The main reason for the lag that only about 135 training providers have been EPA-approved so far – not enough to meet demand either by remodelers or their prospective clients.
Read how contractors are struggling to meet the soon to be new government regulations. By the way, the fine for violating this law is $37,000 per day!