Lead Education Sessions Scheduled for Nov. & Dec.

By David Murray, TCC web editor

THURSDAY, Oct. 6, 2022–With the City of Toledo inching closer to implementing a lead-safe law approved in 2020 and 2021 requiring most rental units in the city to be certified as lead free, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting two public training sessions for residents and lead removal contractors.

The first program–“Understanding Lead”–will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the Main Branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, 325 North Michigan St., in downtown Toledo. This session is geared for people concerned about whether they are living in homes with lead and how lead can affect their health and the health and development of their children. Lead is toxic in any concentration and can lead to serious health problems, especially in small children. Many older homes contain lead-based paint that can flake and produce lead-contaminated dust that children ingest and inhale. Testing of children in Toledo has consistently shown that numerous children, predominantly minority children and children in the poorest neighborhoods of the city, have high levels of lead in their blood. Lead contamination at such a young age can lead to long-long health problems and development problems that can lead to learning difficulties in school and behavioral problems. When the public looks to reasons why youth crime is persistent in urban areas it is not unreasonable to point to lead poisoning in so many children in older areas of Toledo.

Toledo city officials for years have said they would deal with this problem and have passed laws to require landlords to remove lead from their rental units, but each time City Council approve such a law, area landlords threaten legal action, or file lawsuits, and the city backs down. It looks as if 2022 or 2023 may be the year the city finally holds landlords accountable and requires them to remove lead from their properties. To prepare for that day environmental regulators are trying to educate the public and area contractors to their roles to removing lead for homes.

To register for the Nov. 9 Understanding Lead program go to www.ToledoUnderstandingLead.eventbrite.com

The second training session is geared for lead-abatement contractors and will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. Entitled, “EPA Lead-Safe Certification for Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Training Course,” the program will be held at the Woodlands Plaza, 3100 Glendale Ave., Toledo. To register go to www.bit.ly/ToledoRRPDec3

Monica Smith, Lead Safe Coordinator for the City of Toledo, released the following information to the Toledo Community Coalition about the contractor training session:

What Is the Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (RRP)? 

• The Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting Program is a federal regulatory program affecting contractors, property managers, and others who disturb painted surfaces.
• It applies to residential houses, apartments, and child-occupied facilities such as schools and

day-care centers built before 1978.

• It includes pre-renovation education requirements as well as training, certification, and work practice requirements.

–  Pre-renovation education requirements:

• Contractors, property managers, and others who perform renovations for compensation in residential houses, apartments, and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 are required to distribute a lead pamphlet before starting renovation work.

–  Training, certification, and work practice requirements:

• Firms are required to be certified, their employees must be trained (either as a certified renovator or on-the-job by a certified renovator) in use of lead-safe work practices, and lead-safe work practices that minimize occupants’ exposure to lead hazards must be followed.
• Renovation is broadly defined as any activity that disturbs painted surfaces and includes most repair, remodeling, and maintenance activities, including window replacement.
• The program includes requirements implementing both Section 402(c) and 406(b) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). (www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/titleten.html)
• EPA’s lead renovation regulations can be found at 40 CFR Part 745, Subpart E.

Who Must Follow the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule’s Requirements?

In general, anyone who is paid to perform work that disturbs paint in housing and

child-occupied facilities built before 1978, this may include, but is not limited to:

–  Residential rental property owners/managers

–  General contractors

–  Special trade contractors, including:

• Painters
• Plumbers
• Carpenters
• Electricians

What Activities Are Subject to the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program?

In general, any activity that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, including:

• Remodeling and repair/maintenance
• Electrical work
• Plumbing
• Painting preparation
• Carpentry
• Window replacement

Contact David Murray at davidmmurray1954@gmail.com