EPA Proposes New Lead Paint Standards to Protect Against Childhood Lead Exposure in Puerto Rico

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in July a proposal to strengthen requirements for the removal of lead-based paint hazards in pre-1978 buildings and child care facilities, known as abatement activities, to better protect children and communities from the harmful effects of exposure to dust generated from lead paint.

If finalized, the new rule is estimated to reduce the lead exposures of approximately 250,000 to 500,000 children nationwide under age six each year. The proposed rule would strengthen EPA’s regulations under section 402 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) by revising the dust-lead hazard standards (DLHS), which identify hazardous lead in dust on floors and window sills, and the dust-lead clearance levels (DLCL), the amount of lead that can remain in dust on floors, window sills and window troughs after lead removal activities.

The proposal would reduce the DLHS from 10 micrograms per square foot (µg/ft²) for floors and 100 µg/ft² for window sills to any reportable level greater than zero in recognition of the fact that there is no level of lead in dust that has been found to be safe for children. It would lower the DLCL from 10 µg/ft² to 3 µg/ft² for floors, from 100 µg/ft² to 20 µg/ft² for window sills, and from 400 µg/ft² to 25 µg/ft² for window troughs, which are the lowest post-abatement dust-lead levels that EPA believes can be reliably and effectively achieved.

“Even though lead-based paint for residential use was banned in 1978, it is estimated that 31 million pre-1978 houses still contain lead-based paint, and 3.8 million of them have one or more children under the age of 6 living there according to the EPA,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “This creates significant health and developmental risks for children. At Zimmetry, our building science and industrial hygiene professionals provide consulting, training, testing and building inspection services to identify and mitigate exposure risks to lead and other hazardous materials in Puerto Rico and throughout the region. These services not only protect families, building occupants and workers, they also help to keep businesses and institutions in compliance with existing and future environmental, health and safety regulations.”

To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, environmental, compliance and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .

About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals, and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs, and general environmental consulting services.

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