B. Federal Lead-Based Paint Enforcement Bench Book - National ...

1. Introduction
A. Lead Poisoning and Lead-Based Paint
1. The Problem 1
Lead is a poison to the human body. Lead poisoning continues to be a major environmental health problem
in the United States, although it is completely preventable. 2 The most common source of childhood lead
poisoning is lead-based paint (LBP) 3 in older homes and buildings, 4 and the primary exposure pathway is
ingestion of lead-contaminated dust. 5
The serious, and potentially lethal, effects of lead poisoning are undisputed. 6 Lead persists and accumulates
in the body. While lead is potentially harmful to individuals of any age, it is particularly dangerous to
children under the age of six, due to their normal hand-to-mouth behavior (which increases exposure by
ingestion) and increased physiological ability to absorb lead.
Among its many adverse impacts, probably the most essential effect of lead poisoning
is irreversible brain damage, which manifests as reduced IQ scores, and educational
and behavioral problems. Research has confirmed that lead poisoning creates
neurocognitive decrements in young children even at very low blood-lead
concentrations (e.g., less than10 micrograms per deciliter [>10µg/dL]).
1 This section provides an overview of the problem, rather than a scholarly review of the research. Other sources for
summaries of the current knowledge regarding lead poisoning include:
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Basic Information, www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm#health.
• The preamble to EPA’s final Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (RRP Rule), 73 Fed. Reg. 21692 (Apr. 22, 2008),
www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm#tenants, or www.gpoaccess.gov.
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), General Lead Information: Questions and Answers (CDC
Questions & Answers), www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/faq/about.htm.
2 See e.g., EPA, Basic Information, supra note 1.
3 Lead-based paint generally is defined to mean paint or other surface coating that contains lead in levels equal to or in excess
of 1.0 milligram per square centimeter or 0.5 percent by weight (>1.0 mg/cm 2 or 0.5%). See e.g., 24 C.F.R. § 35.86; 40 C.F.R.
§ 745.103 (Disclosure Rule). For discussion of this and other terms in this book, see section Part I.B.4, below.
4 See e.g., U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Lead Toxicity: Where is Lead Found?,
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/lead/pbwhere_found2.html#home.
5 See e.g., 73 Fed. Reg. 21692, 21694, supra note 1. See also, e.g., R. Levin, et al., Children’s Lead Exposure in the USA, 2008:
Implications for Prevention. ENVTL HEALTH PERSP, Online May 19, 2008,
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2008/11241/abstract.html. See also, e.g., B.P. Lanphear, et al., The Contribution of Lead-
Contaminated House Dust and Residential Soil to Children's Blood Lead Levels: A Pooled Analysis of 12 Epidemiologic Studies,
ENV. RESEARCH, 79:51-68, 1998, www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00139351.
6 See e.g., EPA, Basic Information, supra note 1; CDC Questions & Answers, supra note 1. See also ATSDR Toxicological Profile
for Lead, www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp13.html.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTHY HOUSING www.nchh.org 1