Improving Air Quality in Your Community
Indoor Air: Special Concerns in Older Homes: Lead
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.Additional Information
You can help residents, landlords, and business owners reduce the amount of lead in older homes that may affect residents, their families, and the community by conducting these activities:
- Sponsor awareness activities
- Assist with training
- Assist homeowners
- Assist building and business owners
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Sponsor Awareness Activities
How?- Sponsor an awareness month or week that focuses on the dangers of lead exposure in the home.
- Host Lead Awareness Workshops where the public can meet with lead abatement professionals.
- Maintain a Lead Awareness booth or table at public places such as libraries, community centers, and municipal buildings.
- Have a Lead Awareness booth at state and county fairs or hold health fairs related to Lead Awareness.
- EPA maintains materials that may be useful for Lead Awareness programs. Check out these materials in the "More Information" section below.
- Decreases risk to homeowners by increasing their awareness about the dangers of lead.
- Many pamphlets and posters may be available for free from EPA and other organizations.
- EPA has produced lead awareness activities that can be used by community groups.
- EPA's Lead in Your Home: A Parent's Reference Guide (PDF) (67 pp, 2.1 MB) provides basic information related to the dangers of lead in the home.
- EPA has developed Lead Poisoning and Children (PDF). (11 inches x 17 inches page, 2 pp, 165 KB) In Spanish, El Envenenamiento Por El Plomo y Sus Niños (PDF). (11 inches x 17 inches page, 2 pp, 165 KB)
- EPA has developed a booklet entitled Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home (PDF). (17 pp, 674 KB) In Spanish, Proteja a Su Familia en Contra del Plomo en Su Casa (PDF). (17 pp, 674 KB)
- In conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), EPA has developed Lead Paint Safety: A Field Guide for Painting, Home Maintenance, and Renovation Work (PDF) (5.25 inches x 9.24 inches page, 84 pp, 1.3 MB).
- Check out some organizations that have won grants for lead awareness activities.
- Lead in the Environment is a downloadable program that provides an overview of the dangers of lead exposure. The program is also available in Spanish.
- Contact the National Lead Information Center to order any documents or for more information: (800) 424-LEAD.
Assist with Training
How?- Serve as a contact for lead testing and remediation professionals seeking training.
- Sponsor training classes.
- Partner with state, local, and Tribal agencies to enforce the training requirements for lead testing and remediation professionals.
- Offer funding to lead testing and remediation professionals who may not be able to afford training on their own.
- Reduces incidences of training fraud.
- Better coordination between lead testing and remediation professionals and government regulators.
- Costs to hire trainers for classes.
- Funding to train lead testing and remediation professionals.
- EPA and HUD have developed a training course for renovators, painters, and maintenance personnel to teach them how to safely work in homes with lead-based paint.
- EPA has created a model course for state, local, and Tribal agencies to adapt for training lead remediation professionals.
- With a grant from EPA and HUD, the National Environmental Training Association has developed a a training course entitled Lead-Based Paint Maintenance Training Guide (PDF) (94 pp, 2.3 MB).
- EPA has created a model course for lead sampling technicians for state, local, and Tribal agencies to use.
- Lead abatement worker training in Spanish and English is available through the EPA.
- Lead abatement training curriculum for supervisors, inspectors, risk assessors, and project designers is available through the National Technical Information Services (800-553-NTIS).
- HUD also offers various lead training opportunities.
Assist Homeowners
How?- Help homeowners understand why lead is dangerous and how to safely remedy the problem. Check out the publications in the "More Information" section below for educational materials.
- Provide funding for homeowners to use for lead abatement.
- Help homeowners locate other funding opportunities which may be available from your state, local, or Tribal agency.
- Decreases risk to homeowners by raising awareness about the dangers of lead in the home.
- Decreases risk to homeowners by funding lead abatement activities.
- Providing funding for homeowners to use in lead abatement activities.
- EPA has published Testing Your Home for Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil (PDF) (20 pp, 204 KB) as a guide for citizens to use if they think they need to test for lead.
- EPA has developed an informational booklet on the Lead-Based Paint Pre-Renovation Education Rule (PDF) (16 pp, 361 KB) for use by contractors, property managers, and renovation personnel.
- EPA has produced a brochure to help homeowners find lead abatement professionals (PDF) (2 pp, 102 KB) in their area.
- Regulations now require sellers of older homes to complete a lead-based paint and lead hazard disclosure.
- HUD has funding available to help communities address lead-based paint issues in homes and other buildings.
Assist Building and Business Owners
How?- Sponsor lead regulation awareness seminars for business and building owners, contractors, and consultants.
- These seminars can provide an overview of the lead regulations relevant to your community and can impress upon them the importance of following lead regulations.
- For information about lead regulations for business and building owners, check out the "More Information" section below.
- Increases worker and building occupant safety.
- Reduces exposure to lead.
- Decreases liability costs.
- Costs associated with sponsoring lead awareness seminars.
- EPA has developed an informational booklet on the Lead-Based Paint Pre-Renovation Education Rule (PDF) (16 pp, 361 KB) for use by contractors, property managers, and renovation personnel.
- HUD has consolidated its lead risk reduction rules under the "Lead Safe-Housing Rule."