I'm now EPA lead paint RRP certified

[Brian Levredge]

This thing, if enforced, is going to have some serious ramifications for property owners and contractors. I took the class in CA but the certification is the same for 42 states, all US territories and federal lands, and Indian reservations. Below is an example of the requirements that would need to be followed if you were to paint a large room that needed a fair amount of prep work. This assumes that lead paint is present and has already been tested for.

- All windows, doors, and vents need to be sealed using 6M plastic. You would need to construct a special entry out of three sheets of plastic using an "I" cut on the center sheet.
- The floors would need to be covered in 6M as well. This is recommended, not required, because it makes the clean up easier.
- The painters are to be covered in protective gear, wear protective eyewear, and have mouth sealing respirators with HEPA filters on them.
- There is no dry scraping allowed. If scraping is being done, you are to spray the areas with water prior to scraping to prevent dust buildup.
- All power tools that ventilate are to be hooked up to HEPA filtered vacuums. The wet dry versions of these run about $800.
- When the work is completed, all debris is to be removed by vacuuming the plastic surface to remove dust and debris. Everything is then wiped down. All disposed of waste is to be bagged and sealed, and taped off using a goose neck procedure.
- All horizontal surfaces are to be wiped down and carpet vacuumed using the HEPA vacuums. This can take forever in a large room.
- Once this is all done, you have to get a clearance test performed to make sure you are below the maximum acceptable levels. If you don't pass, you keep cleaning (which takes hours) until you do pass.

This now means that any small job that only required one man is now going to require at a minimum two men. The prep and take down will take longer than the actual job being performed in most cases. This is going to affect far more than painters as well. Electricians, plumbers, etc., could all very well find themselves having to deal with the new regs.

Property owners can also be fined in addition to the contractor performing the work so don't think the buck can stop with your contractor. Anyone can report you on this as well. There won't be any special EPA inspectors going around. Building inspectors, OSHA, neighbors, etc., can all report you.

Everything I've explained tends to be more a worst case scenario as it was taught to our class. I would also add that in CA, lead is considered HAZMAT and needs to be hauled away by licensed disposal companies. As the owner of the property you own the liability for the material from cradle to grave and the liability is then passed down to your heirs since lead paint doesn't break down.

There is going to be a lot of blowback on this law because it's going to kill construction and place an undue burden on property owners.