Are you planning to buy, rent or renovate a home built before 1978? Many home and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains high levels of lead (lead-based paint). Lead from paint, chips and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly.

We are planning to renovate our historic home in Prescott. We met with two contractors; one informed us he was a certified and trained to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination, which we would have to follow on the renovation and the other contractor did not know anything about being lead certified and said it did not matter with the renovation.

The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978. As of April 22, 2010, the federal law required that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb more than six square feet of paint in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 must be certified and trained to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. This rule generally does not apply to minor maintenance or repair activities where less than six square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where less than 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior, but this does not include window replacement, demolition, or prohibited practices.

Contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that have become certified by the EPA are designated as Certified EPA Renovators. This designation was received by taking an eight-hour training course from an EPA-approved training provider. Contractors must use lead-safe work practices and follow these three simple procedures: Contain the work area, minimize dust and clean-up thoroughly. As a Certified EPA Renovator, contractors play an important role in helping to prevent lead exposure. Contractors who perform renovation, repairs and painting in pre-1978 homes, before beginning work, MUST provide the owner with a copy of EPA’s lead hazard information pamphlet and all contractors must document compliance with this requirement. Federal Law requires renovation FIRMS to be certified and requires INDIVIDUALS working for the firm to be trained in the use of lead-safe work practices. As a home-owner you should be provided with a copy of the EPA training certificate from the contractor. The contractor must inform you of what lead-safe methods will be used to perform the job, you must be given results of the lead tests. YCCA has several certified members that are trained in lead-removal.

This Federal Law also requires that individuals receive certain information before renting or buying a pre-1978 home. Landlords must disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect. Leases must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint. Sellers must disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before selling a house. Sales contracts must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint. Buyers have up to ten days to check for lead hazards.

You can get your home checked in one of two ways. A paint inspection tells you the lead content of every different type of painted surface in the home or a risk assessment will tell you if there are any sources of serious lead exposure and will also tell you what actions to take to address these hazards. Have qualified professionals do the work. There are standards in place and reliable certified contractors are available to help. Home test kits are available, but studies suggest they are not always accurate. Consumers should not reply on these test kits before doing renovations.