Targeting lead-paint dust

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Targeting lead-paint dust

State proposes tougher rules to prevent poisoning of kids in older homes

By Grillo, Globe Correspondent, 3/30/2002

ew research that links lead-paint dust to elevated levels of lead in

children's blood has prompted the state Department of Public Health to

propose tougher rules to prevent lead poisoning.

The proposed regulations would modify the definition of what constitutes

dangerous levels of lead in paint, make standards for lead dust more

stringent, and streamline state regulations so they meet federal standards.

''We have the nation's most comprehensive [lead paint] regulations and one

of the strongest lead prevention programs,'' said Koh, the DPH's

commissioner. ''And these proposed regulations will significantly improve

lead inspection and compliance.''

A hearing on the changes is scheduled for Thursday at the DPH offices, 250

Washington St., Boston. The changes could take effect as early as summer.

Among the most important changes that have been proposed:

Dangerous lead levels in paint would be defined as 1 milligram or more per

square centimeter, down from 1.2 milligrams.

The definition of dangerous lead dust would be reduced from 50 micrograms

per square foot to 40.

On windowsills, the definition of dangerous dust levels would drop from 500

micrograms per square foot to 250.

Allowable leaves of lead in window wells would be lowered from 800

micrograms per square foot to 400.

''These proposals will tighten standards to make sure homes are lead-safe

for children,'' said Roy Petre, senior policy analyst at the DPH.

The proposals follow the recent release of studies by the US Department of

Housing and Urban Development, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and

Dr. Bruce Lamphear at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati that

established a link between elevated lead levels in the blood and residential

lead-paint dust.

Another impetus for the regulatory changes was the Residential Lead-Based

Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, which required HUD and the EPA to write

lead-paint standards.

Landlord groups, which have at times criticized the lead rules, appear to

support the proposed state changes.

Skip Schloming, a founder of the Cambridge-based Small Property Owners

Association, has insisted for years that intact lead paint does not have to

be removed, as long as it is well maintained. ''Unnecessary'' deleading is

hazardous and places a financial burden on property owners and tenants, he

said, costing from $3,000 to $25,000 a unit. ''These new rules confirm what

we've said all along - that it's the dust and not the intact paint that is a

problem,'' Schloming said. ''The state is acknowledging that deleading is

extremely hazardous because it produces lead dust.''

But Petre said lead paint deteriorates over time, and that homeowners and

renters must ensure dwellings are inspected and deleaded if necessary.

''As paint ages, it deteriorates and dust is formed, creating the most

hazardous situation for children anew,'' he said. ''No matter how well paint

is cared for, however, lead paint eventually becomes brittle and creates a

hazard. There won't be any end to that process in the foreseeable future.''

Lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to the nervous system, IQ loss,

learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. In severe cases, exposure to

lead can cause death. Lead-paint dust is the most common source of lead

poisoning.

Lead dust can come from renovating areas with lead paint, or through normal

wear and tear of painted areas, such as from opening and closing windows.

Lead dust settles to the floor and gets on children's hands and toys,

entering their bodies when they put their hands or toys into their mouths.

Massachusetts' lead paint law requires the removal or encapsulation of lead

paint in homes built before 1978 where children under 6 years old live.

Housing experts estimate that nearly half of all housing built in

Massachusetts before 1950 contains lead paint.

Federal law requires sellers, landlords, and realtors to disclose known

lead-paint hazards.

State health officials don't know how many homes have been deleaded. But

they say the state has made significant progress in reducing the incidence

of lead poisoning. The number of children with lead levels of 15 or more

micrograms of lead per deciliter (the threshold for lead poisoning) has

decreased, from 1,615 in 1998 to 744 last year, or by 54 percent.

Last year, about 56 percent of children ages 6 months to 6 years were

screened for lead poisoning. The number in this age category who have been

screened dropped by 3 percent, from 257,324 in 1998 to 249,148 last year.

State law requires every child in Massachusetts under age 4 to be tested for

lead annually. Children in high-risk, inner city communities should be

tested more frequently, officials say.

Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@....