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Lead Paint Law
The first lead paint law or regulation was passed in the year 1978
by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. It is the 16 Code of
Federal Regulations CFR 1303 wherein paint that has an amount of
lead exceeding more than 0.06 % are banned for use in residential
houses. The definition of a lead-based paint in this regulation has
been adopted by most states.
Housing and Urban Development or HUD has issued guidelines that will
evaluate a property for lead-based paint. There are currently two
testing procedures observed in the lead-testing industry; the
lead-based paint inspections and lead-based paint risk assessment.
Lead-based paint inspections evaluate all painted surfaces within an
area to identify spots where lead-based paint is present while a
lead-based paint risk assessment cover only the testing of
deteriorating painted surfaces and the gathering of dust samples for
checking of the presence of any lead content. In chapter 7 of the
1997 revised HUD guidelines, lead-based paint inspection procedures
are outlined while lead-based paint risk assessment procedures are
available in chapter 5 of the same HUD guidelines.
A disclosure regulation of lead-based paints was enacted last year
1996. In the said regulation, owners of pre-1978 houses are required
to disclose to prospective buyers or renters of their property about
the presence of lead-based paint. It also requires that the buyers
or renters be given with a pamphlet titled, "Protect Your Family
from Lead in Your Home." Other EPA-approved pamphlets are available
together with a disclosure statement.
Lead-based paints were identified to be the cause of a number of
physiological and mental problems in both the adults and the
children. The lead paint law aims to protect the public from hazards
caused by lead-based paints. Due to the recent recall of children
toys manufactured in China, another lead paint law is expected to be
enacted that will cover testing of toys and other products with
possible lead-based paints.
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