Lead-based Paint
BMAC is a sub-contractor for the Department of Commerce in lead paint remediation. Staff members are certified by the Lead-Based Paint Program. This service is available to residents of Walla Walla, Columbia and Garfield Counties. Please call our office for more information.
How Did the Lead-Based Paint Program Start?
In 1992, Congress passed legislation to create a national Lead-Based Paint Program. At that time, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found lead-based paint to be the number-one environmental hazard to children under the age of six.
The national Lead-Based Paint Program went into effect in 1998. Under this program, only certified lead-based paint abatement contractors can do lead-based paint abatement activities in residential dwellings and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 (lead was banned as an additive in house paint in 1978). Examples of lead-based paint activities are inspections for determining lead in paint, risk assessments to find lead-based paint hazards, and abatement, which is designed to permanently remove lead-based paint hazards.
Exposure to lead-based paint can be harmful to children and adults.
- Three-quarters of the homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint.
- Test your home and family for lead if you think a potential hazard exists.
- Temporary measures to reduce lead exposure range from following specified cleaning techniques to good nutrition.
- Permanent measures include component removal and replacement, paint removal, and covering painted surfaces.
Lead based paint literature from HUD found at this link.