For this month’s article I’m going to switch over to the “E” side of environmental, health, and safety. The topic is lead-based paint and the regulation is the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has a very informative webpage that all restorer’s should be familiar with: https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-renovation-repair-and-painting-program. I want to be clear that this topic is completely different than lead-based paint abatement. The intent is not to remove the lead paint (i.e. abatement), but to perform restoration work that may disturb the lead paint, create dust, and cause it to become airborne. (1)In much simpler terms, the RRP Program is about dust control.
Author’s Note: For this article, I will only cover the EPA Federal RRP Rule. Some states have adopted their own programs and Renovators should be aware if their state has a program. The Resources list at the end of the article has a link to check your State.