SECTION 8 HUD LEAD PAINT TESTING

All units under the Section 8 Program must follow the HUD Lead Safe Housing Rule and the State/ Federal EPA Renovator regulations.

• Units constructed prior to 1978 which will be occupied by children under six years of age, a pregnant woman, or a daycare facility, HUD requires that there be no defective paint on the interior and exterior of the unit, boundary fences, and outbuildings.
• If defective paint is found the requirements of the HUD Lead Safe Housing rule apply. Specialized training requirements may apply when addressing paint stabilization and repair.
  • If the defective paint is over deminimis levels specialized training and certification are required :
    • 20 square feet of all exterior surfaces combined.
    • 2 square feet of any interior room.
    • 10 percent of a small component-interior and or exterior,
    • The repairs or paint stabilization must be done by someone trained under the RRP rule with renovator certification and State Firm Certificate.
    • Once the repairs are completed the unit must pass clearance.
    • Included is an overview of those requirements.
    • Please note the Lead Safe Housing Rule is more restrictive than the two regulations. The voucher program must comply with the most stringent HUD rules.

TESTING LEAD IN SOIL / DIRT

Soil lead testing in State of Washington is slightly different than paint inspections, and they can be categorized into two groups. These are:

• In-Situ Tests: Also known as on-site tests, these examinations are conducted using an XRF analyzer that is pointed at the soil. Besides providing instant results, this technique also complies with the standards set by the US EPA Method 6200 to locate contamination boundaries.
• Ex-Situ Tests: These tests are carried out off-site and may take a few days because the samples are sent to a lab. It’s worth noting that multiple samples are required to get an accurate representation of the area. These tests may be more accurate than in-situ tests, but they also provide slower results.

How Does Lead-Contaminated Soil Affect Your Household?

Humans usually suffer symptoms of lead exposure after ingestion. Children that are 2 to 5 years old are at the highest risk because of the increased probability of ingesting soil or dirt. Moreover, pets and children can also track fine lead particles back into your house. These airborne particles can settle close to the entry points, where as dust sampling can find if any harazarous level of lead are present in your home or office. Lead is also not safe for your pets. Dogs and cats can also have health issues from lead exposure. Lead dust poses the highest risk of EBL elevated Blood Levels.

The landlord could decide to have a lead paint inspection done by a certified lead paint inspector or risk assessor. If the result of the certified lead test indicates no presence of lead, the Housing Authority may exempt from such treatment defective paint surfaces that are found in a report prepared by a State Certified Lead Based Paint Inspector or Risk Assessor not to be lead-based paint.

Call 425.608.9553 for XRF Lead testing Seven days a Week!

If there are areas that are positive, the Housing Authority will have to review the report and determine the next course of action.

Need Lead Paint testing? We perform lead inspections, clearance testing, lead hazard screens, and lead paint risk assessments. Call 425.608.9553

Call us for a Lead Clearance Survey - 425.608.9553

The purpose of the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program (RRP) is to minimize exposure to lead-based paint dust during renovation, repair, or painting activities. Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and interior demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children. Firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, childcare facilities, and schools, must be certified by the Department of Commerce and use certified renovators who are trained by an approved training provider to follow lead-safe work practice. EPA has the authority to seek civil fines of $37,500 per offense and an additional criminal fine of $37,500 plus jail time for knowing and willful violations of the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule requirements.

WHEN TO PERFORM LEAD DUST WIPE CLEARANCE

Renovation activities that disturb lead-based paint can create lead dust so proper cleanup after these jobs is critical. The purpose of lead dust clearance is to determine if the area is safe for re-occupancy. Lead dust clearance is performed:

• After renovation, repair, painting, and cleaning activities are finished in a property built before 1978 and where children are assumed to spend time.

• After hazard reduction or maintenance activities in most federally-assisted properties built before 1978 that are covered by HUD’s LSHR. Lead dust sampling technicians should NEVER perform post-abatement clearance. (Abatement—as opposed to renovation, repair, and painting— is a term used for the complete removal of lead.) When performing clearance, the lead dust sampling technician is required to bring a copy of his or her certificate of initial training to the worksite.

Where To Collect Samples

Lead Dust Clearance Tests If there is more than one room, hallway, or stairwell within the work area, take:

• One windowsill sample and one floor sample within each room, hallway, or stairwell (no more than four rooms, hallways, or stairwells need to be sampled).

• If the windows were not closed and covered with plastic during the renovation, also take one window trough sample in each room, hallway, or stairwell (no more than four need to be sampled).

• One-floor sample adjacent to the work area, but not in an area that has been cleaned. For federally-assisted housing, take these samples if the work area is contained, otherwise, clear the whole unit.

If the work area is a single room, hallway, stairwell, or a smaller area, take

• One windowsill sample and one floor sample.

• If the windows were not closed and covered with plastic during the renovation, also take one window trough sample.

• One-floor sample adjacent to the work area, but not in an area that has been cleaned.

Lead Paint Testing With Swabs?

Contractors that care hire us for XRF testing prior to any renovation work. Join the Pro Teams who do and call us today at 425.608.9553

The swabs are intended to provide an instant response for a user who is testing for the presence of lead in paint in a home. HybriVet Systems originally manufactured the kits until 3M purchased the company in 2011.

3M did not respond to inquiries about the accuracy of their test swabs from the Investigative Post. The company’s website states the swabs are “EPA recognized on drywall and plaster” and provide “superior accuracy and sensitivity.” A representative of the former makers of the kits, Hybrivet Systems, told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle in 2007 that “we never developed the tests for dust.”

"No kit in the study achieved low rates of both false-positive and false-negative results. Two out of six kits were prone to false-negative results. Negative test results obtained with these two kits do not necessarily indicate the absence of lead. The other four kits had a tendency to produce false-positive results, even at levels of lead well below the federal thresholds." - 2015 EPA Study Overall, the rate of false negatives for the LeadCheck Swabs was 64% (sensitivity of 36%). Thus, nearly two-thirds of the samples taken according to spot test kit instructions for detecting lead in dust and received a negative result, hazardous levels of dust lead (i.e., ≥40 μg/ft2) were actually present. There are a number of possible reasons why the LeadCheck Swabs did not perform as well as expected for detecting lead in the dust under field conditions. First, the number of brown-colored swab results suggests that dirt may interfere with the overall sensitivity of the swabs. Many of the swabs turned some shade of brown between the pure yellow and pink/red color results discussed in the LeadCheck Swab instructions. This suggests that household dirt may interfere with the reaction between the dye in the LeadCheck Swabs and reactive lead in the dust. Dust wipes are analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry or other similar procedure, which detects total lead that has been dissolved and digested using strong acid and reflux, whereas the swabs may only detect free lead ions that have been dissolved using the reagent in the swabs, which is not a strong acid. Lead that is bound to other molecules or insoluble might not trigger the swabs’ chemical reaction. The results of this study suggest that LeadCheck Swabs do not reliably detect levels of lead in dust above 40 μg/ft2 using published methods under field conditions. The swabs did not accurately predict hazardous levels of dust lead loading for any studied surface (i.e., floors or sills) or substrate (i.e., painted or unpainted).

HUD, Sections 8 & King County Housing Authority view Lead Paint Testing:

Testing of specific surfaces, by XRF (x-ray fluorescence) or lab analysis, to determine the lead content of these surfaces, performed by a certified lead-based paint inspector or certified risk assessor. Lead Swabs are not allowed or accepted as a means of lead paint testing.

Lead-Based Paint Laws and Rules LEAD ABATEMENT PROFESSIONALS WAC 365-230 – Administrative rule that describes requirements for individuals and firms performing lead-based paint abatement, risk assessments, hazard screens, inspections, renovations, and dust sampling.NOTE: Washington Regulations are written to mirror the federal EPA LBP/RRP regulations with only one exception. To find this exception, please refer to WAC 365-230-200 (8) (g) and (h) Washington Business Licensing Requirements – Links to the Washington Department of Licensing business licensing webpage. Any firm applying for lead-based paint activities certification from the Department of Commerce must be licensed to do business in Washington and must provide their Uniform Business Identifier (UBI) number. CONTRACTORS AND PAINTERS Worker Protection and Safety Requirements - Links to the Washington Department of Labor and Industries Lead Safety webpage, including the Lead in Construction Rule. Employers must protect their employees from exposure to lead. Contractor Registration – Links to the Washington Department of Labor and Industries contractor registration webpage.

56% Of Homes Built In King County Were Built Before 1978

Any home constructed before 1978 may have lead paint. As a result, in 1991 the EPA stated that lead-based paint is considered the “number one environmental threat to children’s health in the United States.” More importantly, according to the EPA, lead paint removal should only be performed by A Certified Seattle Lead Paint Removal Contractor.

DON'T USE SWABS!! CALL US FOR XRF TESTING 425.608.9553

Need Lead Paint testing? We perform lead inspections, clearance testing, lead hazard screens, and lead paint risk assessments. Call 425.608.9553

LEAD PAINT TESTING - XRF

City of Sammamish requires Lead Paint testing for all Demolition projects. In Sammamish as a condition of a permit, the Owner / Applicant / Contractor is responsible for complying with Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (206-343-8800) requirements pursuant to Washington Administrative Code Section 173-400-075 regarding the removal of “friable asbestos”.

If the coatings are found to contain detectable levels of lead and portions of this project area with lead-coating paint will be demolished and disposed of, a toxicity characteristic leachate procedure (TCLP) sample that is representative of the waste stream must be collected and analyzed per the requirements of WAC 173-303. Screen the building components to be removed using a field method such as portable XRF. Take representative samples of the components that field screening indicates are lead-contaminated and send for TCLP analysis. Segregate those materials that fail the TCLP test (i.e. have lead concentrations over 5.0 mg/l) for removal as dangerous waste. The remainder is solid waste. Selecting a representative sample: The most conservative approach is to sample every individual component. This may result in excessive and unnecessary sampling for some projects. An alternative approach is to sample each similarly contaminated surface (one sample of each room that has a different paint surface, one sample of each unique baseboard, trim, siding, etc.). Take a full cross-sectional piece of the component for linear components (trim, baseboards, windowsills, etc.). Take proportional amounts of the component for non-linear components (for a window take proportional amounts of any glass, wood, metal, paint, and glazing compound).

Need Lead Paint testing? We perform lead inspections, clearance testing, lead hazard screens, and lead paint risk assessments. Call 425.608.9553

LEAD PAINT XRF TESTING

Beginning April 22, 2010, 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 trained, certified, and meet all Lead Safe Work Practices to prevent lead-based paint dust contamination.

Approximately 75 percent of homes in the Seattle area built prior to 1978 contain at least some lead paint. The likelihood that lead paint was used in a home increases with the structure’s age. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that at least 19 million homes present lead-based paint hazards, and 4 million of these homes house children under the age of 6.

Lead paint inspections are a surface-by-surface investigation for lead-based paint. Pacific Northwest Inspections Group's Lead Consultants Lead Inspection includes testing for Lead Paint in all accessible interior rooms and all sides of the Exterior. Our testing is conducted using an XRF analyzer which uses an X-ray to detect lead-based paint. Benefits of XRF are: No cutting of paint chips, no laboratories, and no touchup painting Immediate, accurate instant results. We’ll tell you if there is any lead on-site with Safe effective testing. Since we don’t cut or score the wall paint, we eliminate exposing paint and creating a Lead hazard. Upon completion of our Lead Paint Survey, we provide a comprehensive report. The report will detail by room and component where if any, lead paint was identified and is valid for the life of the structure.

Lead in the home can cause serious long-term health problems, particularly for children, making it imperative for those living in pre-1978 homes to get lead testing. Lead exposure is dangerous to children even before they are born. Lead is a neurotoxin affecting the development and function of the central nervous system, red blood cells, and kidneys. Even low levels can be harmful. Lead exposure may lead to decreased intelligence, speech problems, attention deficit disorder, and learning disabilities. Poor muscle coordination, impaired bone and muscle growth, and hearing damage are other potential effects of lead exposure.

Contact with high levels of lead is more serious, with the potential for unconsciousness, seizures, and even death. Children can ingest lead-based paint in a number of ways. Deteriorating paint often flakes off in loose chips and dust. When children swallow these materials, they can develop lead poisoning. Lead dust easily collects on baby bottles, toys, and children’s hands. Sources of lead may include any areas with peeling and chipped paint such as window sills, doors, and walls, as well as soil around the house and lead water pipes or lead solder.

Adults who are exposed to lead may experience high blood pressure, fertility problems, nerve disorders, digestive problems, difficulty concentrating, and joint and muscle pain. Those involved in remodeling older homes risk lead exposure as older layers of paint are disturbed during the renovation process. Lead dust can be picked up on skin, hair, and clothing and transferred to other family members. There are several ways to test for lead in the home. You may take samples and send them to a lab, or you may obtain a do-it-yourself kit. Another method involves hiring professionals who are trained in the use of specialized equipment.

Besides making a visual inspection of lead-based paint location and condition, an inspector will use X-ray fluorescence or XRF. An XRF is a portable X-ray device capable of seeing through surfaces to detect any lead underneath. The inspector may also collect dust, paint, and soil samples for submission to a lab. Testing is especially important in situations where paint is deteriorating or when pregnant women, babies, and children live in a pre-1978 home. Once testing has been completed, action can be taken to protect the health of the home’s occupants.

Contaminated items will be replaced and the problematic paint covered with gypsum wallboard or sealant. Professionals can even remove the lead paint completely. It is especially important to keep the home’s occupants out of the area until the job is completed. The time and effort involved in removing lead hazards from the home are well worth it when you consider the cost of lead contamination to the health and well-being of the people who come into contact with it.

Inspectors are required by law to be State Certified. Call us for testing in your home or office 425.608.9553. Serving Seattle, Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, Renton, Kent, Bothell, Bellevue, Medina, and all of Puget Sound King County.

The table below shows the differences between the two types of investigations and why we require both to be done.

Call us today for an in-home XRF Lead Paint Inspection; serving the Seattle area for Residential and Commercial buildings... and yes we also test paint on manufacturing equipment, household goods, and toys.

Download a copy of the EPA Renovate Right Brochure

IT IS THE LAW!

Federal law requires contractors that disturb painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities, and schools built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Always ask to see your contractor’s certification.

Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating more than six square feet of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects or window replacement or demolition in housing, childcare facilities, and schools built before 1978. 

Homeowners and tenants:

1. Your renovators must give you this pamphlet before starting work.
2. It is the LAW

Childcare facilities, including preschools and kindergarten classrooms, and the families of children under six years of age that attend those facilities:

1. Renovators must provide a copy of this pamphlet to childcare facilities and general renovation information to families whose children attend those facilities.
2. It is the LAW

Download a copy of the EPA Renovate Right Brochure

Need Lead Paint testing? We perform lead inspections, clearance testing, lead hazard screens, and lead paint risk assessments. Call 425.608.9553

Law requires that before being obligated under a contract to buy housing built prior to 1978, buyers must receive the following from the home seller: An EPA-approved information pamphlet on identifying and controlling lead-based paint hazards titled Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home (PDF)Any known information concerning the presence of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards in the home or building. For multi-unit buildings, this requirement includes records and reports concerning common areas and other units when such information was obtained as a result of a building-wide evaluation. An attachment to the contract, or language inserted in the contract, that includes a "Lead Warning Statement" and confirms that the seller has complied with all notification requirements. Sample Seller&Owner's Disclosure of Information A 10-day period to conduct a paint inspection or risk assessment for lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards. Parties may mutually agree, in writing, to lengthen or shorten the time period for inspection. Homebuyers may waive this inspection opportunity. If you have a concern about possible lead-based paint, then get a lead inspection before buying. Call us today @ 425.608.9553