New EPA guidelines about lead paint went into effect April 22
I wear a lot of hats in my personal and professional life, like most people. Therefore, I have to look at events from conflicting angles. Here’s a case in point:
As of April 22, 2010, EPA regulations go into effect requiring that contractors treat surfaces painted before 1978 as if they have lead paint, unless they are tested and shown safe. Lead-painted surfaces must be handled in a way that minimizes lead dust exposure for workers and the environment.
Hat #1: I have sat on the Somerville Lead Paint Task Force since the 1990s. There, I have learned about how lead paint can permanently harm children and adults. The adults who have neurological damage are mostly workers who regularly scrape or remove wood that is covered with lead paint, and members of their family who are exposed to their lead-paint-dusty clothes. (This is also true of workers who were exposed to asbestos and radioactive dust in unsafe ways.)
Hat #2: As a buyer’s agent, the new regulations mean a significant increase in the cost of renovation of homes built before 1978. Since most of the houses my buyers buy are old, this change is an issue for my clients.
A large percentage of my clients are parents or plan to be parents; I worry about their children in regard to lead paint. They all know about the law. Few delead, mostly because of the cost..Now everyone’s cost is going up. There will be less lead dust in everyone's houses.
I am expected a chain reaction of renovation costs going up, so renovated properties prices will go up. (And of course, un-renovated properties won’t come down in price.)This is a mixed bag for me as a buyer’s agent.
Hat #3: As your faithful blogger, I need to write about this. REAL Maven was right to call me on ignoring it.
My first disagreement with the Massachusetts lead paint law is that a property is not considered to have lead paint until it is tested. I call this “don’t ask, don’t tell”. The avoidance of testing for lead paint creates plausible deniability and has kept renovation costs down. The good thing about the new EPA regs is that they require that surfaces painted before 1978 be considered lead-painted surfaces unless they are proven to be innocent.
So, now the way to handle lead-painted surfaces is regulated and the pretense that one doesn’t know is eliminated. The result is contractors must protect their workers (good), contractors can’t leave a job full of lead dust (good), all this costs more (bad.)
Is it worth it?
Head under Hat #1 says, “YES!”
Head under Hat #2 says, “Yes, most of the time.”
Head under Hat #3 asks, ”What do you what you think?”
