Thought this was worth sharing… (taken from The Record, written by Steve C. Gold).
IT IS SUPPOSED to be a problem of the past – children poisoned by the lead in the paint in their homes. After all, the government banned lead-based paint from homes in 1978. But the lead already on the walls stayed there. Except it didn’t. It kept getting into kids.
Our image that children become lead-poisoned because they pick and eat chips of peeling paint is dangerously incomplete. Lead paint deteriorates to dust, especially around doors and windows and where workers sand, cut or puncture painted surfaces. This dust is a major source of children’s exposure.
To reduce that exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency required contractors to contain, capture and clean up dust created during renovation, repair or painting of homes that might have lead-based paint. The so-called “RRP rule” also requires contractors to be trained and certified in these practices. The rule, phased in over two years, became fully effective last month.
At a conference on “Lead Paint Poisoning and the Law” at Rutgers Law School, I found myself thinking that the RRP rule is a very good thing, especially after a speaker described research showing how even low levels of lead can devastate a child’s developing brain. The EPA believes the rule is workable, affordable and, above all, worth it: The benefits of protecting millions of children far outweigh the cost, even in purely economic terms.
A study commissioned by New Jersey’s public advocate estimated that in this state alone, reducing blood lead levels in children under 6 could save $27 billion in social costs.
Then I talked to someone whose small business specializes in restoring historic houses. (more…)
