HeadLines Today’s Top News StoriesLead-SafeRequirementsHit theGarage <strong>Door</strong>IndustryHelpfulInformati<strong>on</strong>FromAuthoritativeSourcesBy Tom Wadsworth, Editor36 <strong>Door</strong> & <strong>Access</strong> <strong>Systems</strong> | Summer 2010
“The ten most dangerous words in theEnglish language are, ‘Hi, I’m from thegovernment, <strong>and</strong> I’m here to help.’”—R<strong>on</strong>ald Reagan, July 28, 1988Why All the Fuss?The problems of lead pois<strong>on</strong>ing havebeen publicized for decades. Accordingto the EPA …• “Lead paint pois<strong>on</strong>ing affects over<strong>on</strong>e milli<strong>on</strong> children today.”• “Learning disabilities, hearing loss,<strong>and</strong> violent behavior are some of theeffects lead paint can have <strong>on</strong> youngchildren.”• “Lead may cause a range of healtheffects, from behavioral problems<strong>and</strong> learning disabilities, to seizures<strong>and</strong> death.”• “Lead is more dangerous to children… [but] lead is also harmful toadults. Adults can suffer from:reproductive problems (in both men<strong>and</strong> women), high blood pressure<strong>and</strong> hypertensi<strong>on</strong>, nerve disorders,memory <strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> problems,muscle <strong>and</strong> joint pain.”Editor’s PrefaceSince March 1, we have received comments <strong>and</strong> input from hundreds of garage door dealersthroughout the United States about the Envir<strong>on</strong>mental Protecti<strong>on</strong> Agency’s (EPA) new lead-safework practices. Yes, hundreds.Opini<strong>on</strong>s are clashing. Tempers are flaring. Misinterpretati<strong>on</strong>s are rampant. C<strong>on</strong>fusi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong>frustrati<strong>on</strong> abound.In an attempt to increase clarity <strong>and</strong> provide reliable informati<strong>on</strong>, this article will presentmuch informati<strong>on</strong> taken directly from authoritative sources, primarily from the EPA itself.Knowing that legalese <strong>and</strong> regulati<strong>on</strong>-speak are not always easy to underst<strong>and</strong>, we willoccasi<strong>on</strong>ally translate when we are c<strong>on</strong>fident in our translati<strong>on</strong>.Wherever possible, this article will provide exact quotati<strong>on</strong>s from these sources, avoidingunwarranted interpretati<strong>on</strong>s. To aid the reader, red text in this article indicates the exact wordingof the EPA language as found in the lead-safe practices rule as published in the Federal Register<strong>on</strong> April 22, 2008, <strong>on</strong> the EPA Web site, in current EPA documents, or from EPA authorities inWashingt<strong>on</strong>.This article does not cover all the issues involved. But we hope we are touching some of theissues of urgent interest to U.S. garage door dealers. The reader should also note that changeshave been proposed for certain porti<strong>on</strong>s of the regulati<strong>on</strong>s. Dealers are urged to stay tuned in toreliable sources for updates.<strong>DASMA</strong> has developed a line of communicati<strong>on</strong> to the head of the EPA’s lead paintprogram. An industry lead-paint task force, composed of <strong>DASMA</strong> <strong>and</strong> IDA members, is nowstudying industry questi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> working with the EPA to get reliable answers. The group mayhave results to report this summer. To receive e-mail updates <strong>on</strong> this issue, please send youre-mail address to dasma@dasma.com.April 22, 2010: Earth DayOn April 22, 2010, the entire U.S. renovati<strong>on</strong> world, including the garage door industry,received a major wake-up call from the EPA. Effective that date, “no firm may perform, offer, orclaim to perform renovati<strong>on</strong>s without certificati<strong>on</strong> from EPA” in any housing or child-occupiedfacilities c<strong>on</strong>structed prior to 1978.On March 19, in an exclusive interview with <strong>Door</strong> & <strong>Access</strong> <strong>Systems</strong>, Maria J. Doa, Ph.D.,who serves as the director of the EPA’s lead-based paint program, stated that garage doordealers “need to have a trained <strong>and</strong> certified renovator <strong>on</strong> staff, <strong>and</strong> their firm needs to be acertified firm.” Failure to comply can incur a fine of up to $37,500 per violati<strong>on</strong>, per day.The EPA’s Renovati<strong>on</strong>, Repair, <strong>and</strong> Painting (RRP) Rule applies when you work <strong>on</strong>“pre-1978 housing <strong>and</strong> child-occupied facilities, such as schools <strong>and</strong> daycares.” When the ruleapplies, renovators must ensure that all lead dust is properly c<strong>on</strong>tained <strong>and</strong> disposed of. Someexcepti<strong>on</strong>s apply (see p. 42).However, according to the EPA’s Lead-Safe Renovati<strong>on</strong>s booklet published in March 2009,“If a home was built before 1978, you must either assume that lead-based paint is present orhave the work area tested for lead-based paint before starting the job.”Key Task: Get Certified<strong>DASMA</strong> <strong>and</strong> IDA are urging all garage door installati<strong>on</strong>/repair companies to get their firmscertified <strong>and</strong> to have at least <strong>on</strong>e employee from each firm complete the requirements to becomea certified renovator.c<strong>on</strong>tinued <strong>on</strong> page 38<strong>Door</strong> & <strong>Access</strong> <strong>Systems</strong> | Summer 2010 37
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