Hold on to Your Hat

Back in November I said the wheels of the RRP are in motion. And man, are they. Do you have your hat?

The EPA released its second major study examining lead exposure during remodeling projects on January 23, 2007. The report is succinctly titled Draft Final Report on Characterization of Dust Lead Levels After Renovation, Repair and Painting Activities as prepared by Battelle in Columbus, Ohio. This report can be downloaded by clicking ‘here’. Here is what the report found. Still have your hat?

In the summary of conclusions, the EPA states, “Application of the package of plastic protective sheeting, HEPA vacuuming and wet mopping, and cleaning verification practices in EPA’s proposed rule did result in lower lead levels at the end of a job than were achieved using baseline practices (no plastic protective sheeting and cleaning with a broom and a shop-vacuum vacuum).” Where’s my hat?

So, the EPA commissioned another study that reinforced what NAHB’s study reinforced and something every mother in America knows. If you work in such a way as to not make a mess, then clean up the mess there is no mess: clean as you work! I found my hat. I’ve had it on the whole time waiting for something to blow it off.

Thus far, the only thing even remotely close to doing this is the meeting of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Lead Review Panel. This group of medical doctors, pathologists, and Ph.D’s in metallurgy and toxicology will be getting together in North Carolina on February 6th and 7th. This is the panel that helps the EPA establish the amount of lead in someone’s blood to be considered an elevated blood-lead level (EBL).

Their agenda includes discussion of the proposed lead rule and review of EPA’s and NAHB’s recent lead studies. Rumor has it that they are trying to establish a correlation between IQ levels in children and renovation activities. As CASAC meets fairly regularly, we’ll have to see what they come up with.

I’m holding on to my hat…